Keehlotania
by FragilePuzzle
Summary: AU. Prince Matt buys Prince Mello a gift for his birthday...a boy named Near. When the prince falls in love with him, will Near feel the same? MelloxNear, Crack-ish, M for language and lemons.
1. Chapter 1

As Matt was walking down the streets of the city, people stared. His army of guards surrounded him, warding off anyone that came within a 200-foot radius. Oh how he loved being a prince. He was easily recognizable, as his flaming red hair stood out next to the brownish-tan and yellow of his royal attire, but he had to wear his kingdom colors. He was busy scouring the stores, looking for the perfect present for his best friend and leader of the neighboring kingdom, Prince Mello. Suddenly, he walked past an auction house. Matt jumped at the chance when he saw that an auction was currently going on. He tried to enter quietly, as not to interrupt, but the clanking of his guard's armor wasn't helping. Not to mention that some girl yelled,

"OH WOW! IT'S PRINCE JEEVAS!"

Everybody turned around to look and see if the girl was telling the truth. When they saw him, people quickly scooted as humanly close to each other as possible to make room for him.

"Umm…hey? You don't have to…just…aw, never mind."

Matt sat down in the front row, and waited for the auction to resume. After a few more items, a small, white-haired boy was led onto stage. He was blindfolded and gagged, his wrists bound behind his back. As soon as Matt saw him, he knew Mello would love him. Mello didn't like to admit it, but he was two hundred percent g-a-y, and had a thing for cute, helpless boys like that.

"The starting bid is—"

"I'll take him!" Matt said, jumping out of his seat. "I'll give you 5,000!"

"—50"

Matt threw down the money and told one of his guards to get a delivery carriage from his castle. He led the boy outside, gently removing the gag.

"Damn, he's gonna love you."

The small boy whimpered as he said this, and pulled the only thing covering him, a blanket, closer to him.

"What's your name?"

The auctioneer came outside too, telling him all he needed to know about the boy.

"His name is Near. He's obedient, quiet, and he'll do whatever you want. Whatever."

"Oh, no. He's not for me. I bought him for a friend," Matt said, grinning.

Near just buried his head in his knees, which he had quickly pulled up to his chest. He didn't know what was happening, only that he was being sold to a new "master" that he had to serve. Apparently, he was just bought as a gift. How…lovely. Being treated like an item. It's not like he wasn't used to it, but he always wondered what it might be like to have a different life. Just then, the carriage pulled up, and the prince helped Near into the back, removing the blindfold. Near blinked, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the sudden light.

Even though Near was hardly ever let out of his old master's basement, he knew that this was the prince, Mail.

"Hey!" Matt said cheerily.

Near didn't say anything, he just shied away.

"Oh god, Mels is gonna love you!"

Matt handed him a note, and told him to give it to Roger, Mello's butler. Near's new master had a butler? He had never been sold to someone who had any sort of money. Most people just bought him because he would do the chores and they could make him do anything they wanted. Just as the auctioneer said…anything.

Near nodded, and Matt sent the carriage on its way.

"Say hi to Mels for me, eh?"

Near nodded again, and they were on their way.

"Master Mihael! I have your birthday present!" said Roger, coming up the stairs to Mello's large study.

Mello was surprised. His butler, Roger, had managed to piss him off twice within five seconds. Mello hated being called "Mihael" and he also hated being interrupted while reading Edgar Allen Poe. He heard a thump from outside of the hallway, and then Roger knocked on the door.

"I have your birthday present from Prince Mail, milord," said Roger.

"You know he prefers Matt. Come in."

Mello sighed and slammed his book shut. As frustrated as he was, the prince from the neighboring kingdom, his best friend Matt, never failed to disappoint when it came to presents. Roger opened the door, dragging a small boy in tow. The boy looked to be a year or so younger than Mello, and had white, curly hair, and pale china-doll skin. Roger saw Mello eyeing the boy, and he pushed him forward.

"Oh Mattykins, you always outdo yourself," whispered Mello.

The boy stumbled and fell to the floor at Mello's feet. He was naked, wrapped in a blanket, and even though he was shivering and dirty, Mello still thought he looked quite cute.

"What's his name?" Mello asked.

"Here milord, you can read the card that the Prince sent you," said Roger, handing him a gold-plated card. It read,

_Dear (Prince) Mels,_

_Hey mate! Haven't seen you in a while, but that didn't stop me from getting you a nice present. His name is Near, and when I saw him, I thought you'd like him. He's pretty quiet for the most part, or at least he was with me. He likes toys and things, I guess. Anyway, I'm going to come visit soon. It's boring here, and I'm always up for a good bottle of wine and a banquet (hint, hint), so I'll send a messenger a couple of days before I arrive. You should have a big banquet; because the more sexy, drunken princes, the better (if ya know what I mean). _

Prince Matt

As Mello read this, he smirked and looked down at the boy who was still on the floor by his feet. He bent down to survey his gift, and the boy seemed to recoil away from him. He could see Near shivering, and decided that he needed a warm bath.

"Roger, go draw him a bath," Mello demanded.

"Yes, of course milord."

Roger left, and Mello helped his gift to his feet.

"So, you're Near, huh?"

The small boy nodded, and pulled his blanket around him a little tighter.

"Let's get you a cleaner blanket, okay?"

Near didn't say anything, he just stared at the floor. That is, until Mello pulled the grimy old blanket away. He whimpered and tried to cover up his now-exposed body unsuccessfully.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you or anything," Mello said, trying to sound comforting. Near just whimpered again, but allowed Mello to wrap him up.

"Let's go get you in the bath."

Mello walked the smaller boy to the bathroom, just as the bath had finished being filled. He gently pried Near's hands off of his blanket, and helped him into the bath. Mello took off his shirt; he didn't want it getting wet. He helped Near sit down, and he finally got a good look at his body. His beautiful skin was covered in bruises and scrapes, especially around his lower back. Mello started to scrub his hair with the lavender-scented soap, loving the feeling of his soft tresses in his hands. He gently cleaned out every wound, taking his time as not to hurt the younger.

"So, Near, how old are you?"

When Near didn't answer, Mello just asked again.

"I'm nineteen. The youngest ruler Keehlotania ever had."

"Seventeen," Near whispered so quietly, Mello could barely hear him.

They continued the rest of the bath in silence, Near only occasionally gasping quietly when Mello pressed on a bruise too hard. After they finished, Near smelled like flowers, and his skin was clear of any dirt. His skin was a rosy pink from being scrubbed so much, and his hair was silky and curly. Mello took his sweet, sweet time brushing it out, savoring the moment. But, much to Mello's displeasure, every time he tried to move closer to Near, he scooted away.

"Why won't you let me sit next to you?" Mello pouted. He was the prince, and was used to getting whatever he wanted.

"I-I'm always a bit nervous when I meet people for the first time."

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?"

"You're n-not mad?" Near asked.

"Why would I be mad? I mean, there has to be a reason why, right?"

Near didn't say anything, but he didn't move away when Mello budged an inch or two closer. Mello decided not to push it for tonight and led Near back to his bedroom. He sat the smaller on his bed, and went over to his large closet, looking for something for him to wear. A few minutes later, he pulled out a white tunic-type shirt, and some loose white and gold pants. The outfit was a stark contrast to his black and silver one, but he had to wear his kingdom's colors. Not that he minded, seeing as he picked them out himself.

"You'll look cute in these."

Mello started to dress him, ignoring the protests of, "I can dress myself!" and by the time he was done, Near looked a lot better than he had.

"You're probably hungry, right?" asked Mello.

"Yes, a bit," he said shyly, twirling a lock of his hair around his index finger.

Mello led him downstairs, and at the bottom of the winding staircase, there was an army of maids and butlers scuttling about, doing their assigned tasks. When Mello, cleared his throat, they all dropped whatever they were doing and bowed so low, their heads almost touched the floor.

"Rise," Mello commanded.

They all shot back up, awaiting his next command.

"This is Near. You're to get him anything he wants, understand?"

There were many nods and then his army of housekeepers got back to work, trying to get a good glimpse at Near without him or Mello noticing.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," said Near softly.

"Ahh, but that's what they're there for!" he said cheerily. "Roger!"

The man from earlier came running up within seconds, ready to do whatever Mello asked.

"Bring me nine messengers."

Within minutes, the nine pageboys were assembled, none of them being much older than Near. Mello handed them each a note, and told them who to deliver them to.

"You, Prince Jeevas. You, Prince Lawliet. You, Prince Yagami. You, Prince Birthday. You, Prince Mikami. You, Prince Ryuk. You, Princess Rem. You, Princess Amane. And you, Princess Takada. Now, off with you all!" he shooed them away.

Near recognized that Mello must be having some sort of party. After all, he was inviting the other nine rulers of nearby lands—the ten 'revered leaders of the lands,' Mello included. Then, Mello started towards the kitchen. Near was still so enthralled; he was staring at the paintings on the ceiling, the stained glass windows, and the tapestries that hung on the wall, he didn't even notice Mello leaving.

"C'mon, we'll go get you some food," he said, pulling on Near's wrist.

"O-Oh I'm sorry! I'm just used to…you know…sorry about that."

Near looked up at him with wide eyes. The prince was apologizing to him? In any other situation, Near would probably have been forced to lick his shoes and beg for his life, but the prince was apologizing to HIM? This was too weird, but in a good way of course.

"Well, do you want something to eat?"

Near nodded and followed him into the kitchen. There were cooks rushing around everywhere, but when they saw Mello, they did the same as the people did earlier. Bowed so low, their chef's hats skimmed the ground. Suddenly, Near felt quite inadequate. He had not bowed when he first saw the prince-- he had just remained mute.

"Stand up before the food burns," Mello said.

Mello turned to Near, looking at him kindly.

"Is there anything special you like to eat?"

Near flushed, as everyone in the room was staring at him, waiting for his answer so they could spring on it. Near just continued to fiddle with the sleeves of his too-big tunic, and stared at the floor.

"Anything's fine, really," he mumbled, his voice cracking slightly.

"Are you sure?"

Near nodded, fidgeting uncomfortably. He was used to being stared at, but not in a good way. All this caring was suffocating him; but this time, in a good way.

"Okay then…" Mello thought for a moment. "Fix a big meal, a little of everything, and the usual chocolate cake!"

The cooks nodded and got right to work. Near found it amazing how fast their hands could move, chopping, boiling, mashing, mixing. Mello let him stare for a few more minutes, until he offered to take Near on a tour of the castle. It was so huge, Near couldn't remember half of it, and decided to stick by Mello, in case he got lost. Near found out that Mello's favorite room in the whole house was his study, which was half-library. There were oil lamps everywhere, and the shelves were filled with poetry and prose. Mello's favorite poet was Edgar Allen Poe, and his favorite piece by him was _The Telltale Heart_. After Near looked at Mello's many books, they finished the tour, ending up back downstairs. By this time, the dinner was ready, and the two of them sat at the giant banquet table and the food was served.

Near had never smelled anything so good in his life. He could probably get full just from looking at it. Mello saw Near just staring at the food, not even moving.

"Is something wrong with the food? I can have them make something else if you don't like anything."

Near's eyes widened and he snapped out of his scent-induced trance.

"No, no, no! Nothing is wrong at all, I've just never even seen anything this good, let alone had a chance to eat it!" he explained.

"Oh, well, that's good then. I was afraid you wouldn't like it."

"How could I not?"

Mello smiled, and they proceeded to eat their dinner. Near had never tasted anything so good. The spices made each dish unique, the meat was piping hot, and the fruit was fresh and juicy. He ate so much; he couldn't possible have another bite. That is, until the desserts came out.

"Oh good, the cake is done!" Mello exclaimed excitedly.

Near looked at the giant silver platter. It was covered in cakes, pastries, and confectionaries. Talk about having life handed to you on a silver platter. Just then, another cook brought out an enormous chocolate cake. It was covered in chocolate, melted chocolate, and powered sugar. Near couldn't help but stare. He had NEVER had sweets before, but he heard they were very good. He gently picked up a cupcake, and took a cautious bite out of it. It was even better than the food earlier. He looked at Mello and smiled, watching the prince devour his overly-enormous cake. Mello looked up, and saw his smile. It was the sincere kind; the kind people make only for themselves. The kind where you don't show any teeth, but the corners of your lips turn up slightly and you get tiny wrinkles next to your eyes.

"Hey," he said through a bite of the cake. "You're smiling."

"I guess I am. I can't remember the last time I did though. It feels…weird."

"You're cute when you smile."

Near blushed and stared at his cupcake like it was the most important thing in the world.

"T-thanks…" he muttered. Nobody could turn down a compliment like that, especially when it was from the prince.

"Do you want a bite of my cake?" asked Mello, popping the fork out of his mouth, stabbing another piece, and holding it out to Near.

Near really had no idea what to say. The cake did look delicious, but he didn't know if it would be considered rude to eat off of the same fork as the prince. As he opened his mouth to say something, Mello gently grabbed his chin and put the cake into his mouth. It was delicious too, and Near didn't even notice Mello holding on to his chin. Near finished chewing and swallowed.

"It's really good! Better than anything I've ever tasted, actually."

Mello broke out into a grin at hearing this, and handed him a fork so they could share the cake.

"No, it's okay, it's your cake, and—"

"Shhh. I can't eat all of this by myself."

The two finished the cake, and by the time they were done, Near was exhausted. Mello saw this and led the younger boy upstairs to his bedroom.

"You can sleep here if you want, or we can get you your own room," said Mello.

"I'll sleep here…if you don't mind, that is."

"Of course not," Mello said, mentally high-fiving himself. He was hoping that Near would want to sleep here. He was proud of himself for getting him open up so much in only a day. When he got here, Near was shy and hardly said anything, but now he was even offering to sleep in the same bed as him. Score one for Mello! Note to self: Get Matt greatest birthday present ever next year. Mello noticed Near curled up in the chair near the fireplace, almost asleep.

"What are you doing?" Mello asked.

"Going to sleep," he replied tiredly.

"Don't you want to sleep in the bed?"

Near looked shocked, and Mello decided to quickly try and take back what he just said.

"No, I mean, it's only if you want to, because you don't have to, and—"

"Wouldn't I just get in the way?"

Mello looked at the giant, bigger-than-king-size bed, and back at Near.

"C'mon. You're so tiny; you'll hardly take up any room at all. Even if you did, I wouldn't mind."

He beckoned Near over to the bed, almost seductively, and pulled the covers over his half-asleep frame. Mello then walked around the room, putting out all if the lights except for one small candle that lit the room just enough to get back to the bed without running into anything. He crawled under the covers, snuggling up as close to Near as possible without it being awkward, and listened to the boy breathe for a while. He then got out of bed and changed into his pajamas, which consisted of some black velvet, silver silk-lined pants. He pulled his blonde hair back into a messy ponytail and lay back down.

Near was going to be his.


	2. Chapter 2

Holy fuckin shit on toast.

That was what was running through Mello's mind as he awoke. He had momentarily forgotten what had happened yesterday, so when he woke up in bed with a cute boy who he was holding like a child holds a stuffed animal, he wondered what had happened last night. Then it all came flooding back, and he sighed deeply. His exhaling on the nape of Near's neck caused the younger of the two to wake up, wondering why somebody was breathing on the back of his neck, and he remembered—

--He was sleeping in the same bed as the ruler of Keehlotaina, Prince Mello.

Mello feigned sleep, hoping Near wouldn't think he was purposely cuddling him so close.

"M-Mello…" he whispered.

That was the first time Mello had heard Near say his name, and he sounded so adorable doing it.

"Mello, please, move your arm."

Mello slowly opened his eyes, blinking them a couple of times, pretending he had just woken from a deep slumber.

"Mnnn…what…"

"Your arm is resting on a particularly painful bruise."

Mello quickly removed his arm, pulling it away.

"I'm sorry! I didn't even realize I had moved so close to you! I guess I toss and turn in my sleep, huh?" he said, sounding embarrassed.

Near didn't say anything, he just sat up and started twirling his hair again. Mello could hear someone walking up the stairs and arriving in front of his door.

"Come in!" he drawled, before the person could even knock.

It was Roger, coming with the news that the royal guests would be here tomorrow. Mello thought it was pretty late notice, but he stepped out of bed and went downstairs, making the still-tired Near follow him. Near was busy staring at Mello's exposed torso, and how pretty his face looked when his hair was pulled back.

"Okay. We'll get dressed and go to town today, to get you some things," said Mello.

Near just nodded. He found it was impossible to argue with Mello, especially when he had his mind set on something. When the three of them (including Roger) finally made it downstairs, Mello demanded that the housekeepers clean the entire mansion, make it spic-and-span for the guests. He told the cooks to start on the gigantic feast, which had 9 courses. Near's jaw dropped.

Mello sat down at the big table, where they had eaten last night, and waited for breakfast. He gestured for Near to sit next to him. The cooks brought out bread, fruit, milk, and all kinds of things to put on the toast.

"Looks delicious," said Near enthusiastically. He couldn't remember the last time he HAD breakfast, let alone a good one like this.

Near immediately reached for a big peach, and when he took a bite, the sweet juice flooded his mouth. He continued to bite and suck on it, trying not to waste any of the delicious fruit.

'Holy fuckin shit on toast.' Mello thought for the second time that day.

Seeing Near suck on the fruit like that was driving him absolutely insane. What he did NOT want, in any way, shape, or form, was to get a… ahem…problem…down there. Especially not in front of Near and his entire staff. He didn't know how he would ever live it down. He tried looking away, but he could still hear Near making quiet sucking noises. God, now was not the time to be thinking of, well, what he was thinking of.

"Is something wrong, Mello?" he asked, seeing Mello's red face and the way he was shifting around in his seat uncomfortably.

"No, nothing," he said calmly, damning whoever decided to add peaches to the breakfast menu.

Near finally finished the peach, much to Mello's relief, and started to eat some bread, giving Mello's erection time to go down. But after he was done with the bread, Mello nearly choked on his toast when Near started eating cherries.

Damn, damn, damn, damn, shit, oh my god will he never give me a break?

Incoherent thoughts ran through Mello's head as he started to picture things that would only be legal in some place far, far away. Mello felt a searing heat between his legs again, and noticed his painful problem was back with a vengeance.

Oh fuck fuck fuck, ugh, breakfast is almost over!

Near's normally pale-pink lips were stained a bright red, making him look like a vampire. A very cute vampire that was currently nibbling on a cherry. Mello's thoughts turned dirtier and dirtier, until he decided to praise the lord that there was a tablecloth to hide his otherwise-obvious predicament. Mello kind of felt it was his own fault though, because he was the one who was imaging those things.

"Mello, are you sure nothing is wrong?" Near asked again.

"Nothing at all. I'll be right back, okay?"

Near nodded and began to eat his fruit again. Mello walked down the hall to an empty room, locked the door, and came back out fifteen minutes later, problem gone.

"Lets go upstairs and get dressed."

After they got dressed, they headed out to the stables to grab a carriage that would take them around town. It was drawn by two jet-black racing horses, some of the fastest and most purebred around. Nothing particularly exciting happened on their way to the town, Mello just watched Near stare out the windows at the rolling countryside. When they finally arrived in town, Mello decided that they would first go to a tailor's shop. Near was wearing some more of his clothes, only they were black this time, and made the boy look even paler than he was. Mello ordered that they go to the most luxurious part of the town, and stop by the tailor's first.

Mello strode in the store, a meek Near following him closely. The tailor ran out of the back room, hearing somebody arrive, and nearly fainted when she saw it was Prince Keehl.

"H-how do you do your highness?" she asked nervously.

"I need some clothes personally tailored," he explained.

"For yourself milord?"

"No, no. They are to be made for him," Mello said, beckoning Near forward.

Near shyly walk out from behind Mello, twirling his hair even harder than normal. He seemed very uneasy at being treated like royalty.

"Of course milord. Why don't you come over here dear?" she asked.

Mello nodded, gesturing for him to go forward, and Near made his way over to the measuring room. With Mello standing in the doorway, he was forced to take off his clothes and be measured. He was shivering, not because it was cold, but because he hated the tailor touching him. After she took his measurements, he quickly gathered up his clothes and pulled them back on. The tailor told them to come back later, that she would have their things ready by the evening. Mello thanked her, and they were on their way.

Just as they were walking into a store, a small girl came up to Mello. One of the guards was about to grab her, but Mello stopped him.

"What is it?" he asked kindly.

"I…I…would you like to buy a flower?" she asked nervously.

The girl couldn't have been older than six, and she looked like a beggar. It reminded Near of himself when he was younger. He desperately hoped that she wouldn't have the same fate he had.

"Sure," Mello said, handing her some gold. He picked out a big, blooming, red flower, and the girl bowed and ran off, her newfound gold in hand.

Mello looked over at Near, who was still watching the girl run away. He held out the flower to Near, a slight blush dusting his cheeks.

"Here. It's for you."

Near looked at the flower, and back at Mello, who had his head turned away and was staring off into the distance. Near gingerly took the flower, making sure not so much as a petal fell off.

"Thank you, Mello," he said, smelling the flower. "It smells really nice."

Mello was just gazing at the younger boy. He had his eyes closed and was smelling the flower…if only Mello could stare at him forever…Mello's fantasies were interrupted by one of his guards tapping him on the shoulder. Mello turned around with a look that spelled pure death, and said,

"What?" as icily as humanly possible.

The guard seemed to try and make himself as tiny as humanly possible, and backed away, seemingly forgetting what he was going to say. The rest of the shopping trip went off without a hitch, and they stopped by to pick up Near's clothes before going back to the castle.

By the time they got back to the castle, it was practically nighttime. Mello put all of Near's toys in the room across from his study, and all of his clothes in the wardrobe with his own. Near was so tired from walking around town, he didn't even have any dinner that night. He was about to go to sleep, when he realized he was still wearing his clothes he wore into town. Mello was nowhere to be found, so he made his way over to the closet and pulled out a white and silver nightgown that Mello had picked out for him. It was as soft as silk, and the designs were beautiful as well. He checked the room again, just to make sure Mello wasn't there, and he stripped. Looking in the mirror, he saw that his backside was still as black-and blue as ever.

Then, Mello decided that now would be a convenient time to walk in. So, as Near was standing there completely naked, trying to figure out how to undo the clasps on the nightgown, Mello opened the door. Near noticed him and gasped, embarrassed at being seen exposed like this. Mello however, seemed unfazed. He just walked across the room, and started helping Near with the gown's clasps.

"Thank you," Near stuttered nervously as Mello slipped it over his tiny frame.

"No problem."

As soon as Mello had redone the clasps, he decided to get undressed as well. He slowly slid his shirt off, dropping it on the floor. Next were his pants. Near tried not to stare, but once Mello was standing there, completely and utterly naked, even an asexual person couldn't help but drool. Mello flung the doors of the wardrobe back open, and decided on some black pants. That was it. Just pants. Near tried not to gawk as he turned back around, turning all of the lights off and crawling into bed next to Near. Mello quickly fell asleep, but Near took a lot longer, thinking about today, yesterday, and especially tomorrow.

Tomorrow, the guests would arrive.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you sooooooo much to the people who read/faved/watched/reviewed. You guys have no idea how much it means to me! I was so excited, because I didn't even think people would read them, let alone take the time to review. Again, thank you so much! Even one-word reviews saying how my story sucks make my day, so please tell me what you thought! Also, I am sorry, but my stories well have pretty long waits between updates. I have so much schoolwork, and my computer at home does not have internet, so I have to go to a computer at my mom's work or something to upload my stories. Now, onto the story!

"OH MELLO-YELLOW!!"

Mello groaned and rolled over, almost crushing the tiny Near underneath him. He opened his eyes and saw his best friend, Matt, standing in the doorway.

"Whoa, am I interrupting something?" he asked gesturing to Near, who was, despite the ruckus, still asleep in Mello's arms.

"No, you ass. What are you doing here so damn early anyway?"

"I'unno. I felt like it?"

Mello sighed and stepped out of bed. He was still in his "pajamas" from last night, and his hair was still pulled back in its messy ponytail. He walked over to the closet and pulled out his best outfit, some black robes with silver embroidery. He had bought Near a pair to match; only his were silver with black. Wearing all black made the pale boy look even paler.

"Hey, Near, wake up," he whispered, shaking the younger boy. "We have to take a bath and get dressed before the other guests get here."

"Okay…" Near mumbled. He stepped out of bed and was immediately greeted by the sight of Prince Mail.

"Oh!" he gasped. "Hello there Prince Jeevas!"

"Matt. Matt, Matt, Matt. Please, I'm begging you, call me Matt," the redheaded prince said.

"Okay…Matt?" Near said.

"Better!" he said, breaking out into a smile. "It's nice to hear you talk. You have such a cute voice, but it reminds me of a girl."

"Back off, Matty. Go get your own," said Mello, sticking out his tongue childishly.

Near blushed and twirled his hair around his finger. Mello saw his face, and the two older boys assured him they were just teasing. Near nodded, though still blushing a bit.

"So, Near," he said, shooting Matt a look. "Let's go take a bath, okay?"

"Yeah, I got—um—stuff to do, so I'll see you later!" said Matt energetically, winking at Mello when Near was turned around.

Matt quickly ran out the door, leaving the two alone. Mello walked Near to the bath, and started to fill it. Near just fiddled with his hair some more, asking Mello numerous times of there was anything he could do to help.

"Fuck."

Near looked up as he heard the prince swear.

"What is it?" he asked.

"There's no more fuckin hot water."

Somewhere in the castle, unknownst to the boys, Roger let out a loud cackle. No more hot water! That would mean the two had to take a bath together! Exactly what Lord Mello had been aiming for. As a maid eyed him strangely, he stopped his maniacal laughter, brushed off his shirt, and resumed his chores.

"So…what do you want to do?" Mello asked.

"You may take the bath, of course!" said Near, like Mello had just asked him something that was completely and utterly obvious.

"Why don't you go first, and then I'll take one after you?" Mello suggested.

"But then, you'd have to get in my dirty water! What about the banquet? You have to look clean and presentable, especially because you're a prince!" argued Near.

"What are you talking about? You need to look presentable too!"

Near didn't have a retort to that one.

"What, didn't I tell you? You're coming to the banquet too!"  
"I-I am?" he asked dumbly.

"Of course! Why wouldn't you?"

"Because…I'm not royalty…not even close."

"Just get in the tub doofus."

Mello helped Near into the tub and proceeded to wash his hair and skin as he had done just days before. Near seemed to have gained a little weight, which was good because the boy used to be stick thin, and most of his scrapes were gone. However, the horrible bruises on his lower back were still there.

"Where did you get these anyway?" he asked, gently touching the bruises.

"I'm a klutz. I tend to trip a lot," he responded.

"You should be more careful," said Mello, a concerned look on his face.

Near smiled and nodded. He was glad Mello hadn't figured it out. It'd be so much easier to just forget it all, at least for now. He didn't wasn't bad memories to ruin the only good ones he was having. He didn't want to wake from this beautiful dream, one in which he had somebody who cared for him. One in which the one thing he desired above all else was granted to him. However, he knew for a fact that it couldn't last. Mello would eventually bore of him, just as everybody else he had ever known had. If he opened up and fully embraced the feeling of being cared for, it would only hurt more when he was disposed of, like a broken toy, in favor of a new and better one.

"Is something wrong?"

Near realized that he had just been sitting in the tub, gazing off into space with a dreamy look in his face.

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm sorry," Near apologized. "But, you know, I am capable of washing myself."

"I know, but…why, am I doing something wrong?" asked Mello.

"No, it's very relaxing. I just figured you'd rather—"

"Listen, Near. I don't do anything that I don't want to. So just know, that if I'm doing something, it's almost always because I want to," Mello explained seriously.

"I understand. Thank you," said Near, a hand gong up to twirl a lock of sopping wet hair.

Mello grinned and continued to scrub the boy raw. After Near was all clean, Mello dried him off and admired his cute resemblance to a baby lamb. After Mello brushed his hair out, he stripped and got in the tub himself.

"Hey Near?" said Mello, feigning innocence. "Can you get my back?"

"S-sure," he said softly.

Near grabbed the soap and began to clean the spots Mello "couldn't reach" and massaged the kinks out of his back at the same time.

"Heh, kinks," thought Mello.

Mello let out his sexiest sigh possible, and relaxed his body into Near's touch. Mello was ecstatic when Near didn't even ask permission before starting to wash his hair.

After they were both bathed and dried, Mello led Near back to his room so they could get dressed. Mello had their outfits laid out in advance, and they were stunning. Mello's was a fine black silk with silver patterns that looked Celtic-inspired all over it. Near's was the exact same, only smaller with reverse colors.

"C'mere," said Mello, seeing Near struggle with the complicated fastenings in the robes.

"These took me forever to learn," he smiled, slipping the robes onto Near.

After they were both dressed, Mello made sure Near looked perfect. He did. The silver of the robes matched his hair even though they weren't the same shade of whiteish-silver. The black contrasted with his pale skin greatly, and matched his large onyx-colored eyes. Near however, could do nothing but stare at Mello. He looked absolutely gorgeous. His hair was shining and iron-straight, his eyes were sparkling and he walked with a certain air of grace and dignity in his step that Near could never hope to match.

"W-we match," stuttered Near dumbly. He wanted so badly to slap himself for stating something so completely obvious.

"Do you like yours?" he asked, ignoring Near's supposed idiocy.

"Of course! It's so beautiful and soft," he said, rubbing the material of the sleeve up against his cheek.

Mello was walking slowly towards Near, his robes dragging slightly on the ground. He reached out a hand, about to touch Near's other cheek, and said,

"You look really beauti—"

"Ello, Mello-Yellow!" sang Matt, bursting into the room.

Mello really felt like smacking that imbecile.

"Mello…Yellow?" asked Near.

"Matt…" huffed Mello, grinding his teeth. "What are you doing here? No, never mind. But I think you should know by now not to call me that, don't you? Have I ever told you how much I HATE that name?"

"Yes, I do believe you have," Matt said, stroking his imaginary beard thoughtfully. "Anyway, how do ya like the robes?"

He spun 360 degrees around, giving them a good view of his chocolate-brown velvety robes.

"Gotta look smokin' for Prince Yagami, ya know?" grinned Matt, winking sexily.

"Yeah, I can see that happening," stated Mello dryly. "What do you see in that fuckin douche anyway?"

"Have you seen that hair?"

"I saw it, but I didn't notice it."

"And that ass!"

"What ass? He's flatter than a board!"

Near just watched confusedly as the two continued to argue. He knew who Prince Yagami was, but he had never seen what he looked like.

"It's just creepy! It'd be like incest, coz you both look almost exactly the same!" Mello yelled. "Wouldn't sex just be awkward?"

"It's the same for L and B, but you don't see B stop groping L at the dinner table! You don't see him stop trying to put poison in Light's drinks!"

"Umm…" Near interrupted. "What are the two of you talking about?"

Mello rolled his eyes and flopped down onto the bed next to Near.

"Matt is being a dumbass again."

"Whatever."

Suddenly, Matt eyed Near strangely. Near couldn't place what it was, but that glint in his eye was quite unsettling.

"Hey Mels," he said, stalking over to Near. "He pretty cute you know…Maybe I should have kept him for myself…"  
At hearing this, Mello quickly shoved Matt away and pulled Near close to his chest, resting his chin on the top of Near's head.

"Back off," Mello hissed. "He's mine."

Mello wrapped his arms around Near protectively and pulled the small boy closer. The look in his eyes just screamed pure death. At seeing this, Matt laughed and the lust-filled look dropped off his face.

"Oh man, I can't believe you fell for that!" he grinned. "Don't insult Yagami. I take it you learned your lesson, correct?"

"Yeah, I was wrong. Yagami isn't a douche. You are."

Matt laughed again and ruffled his bright vermilion hair.

"You should know that I go for sophisticated, not cute. Anyway, I'll meet you downstairs in a few, okay?"

Matt waved and left the room. Mello was still squeezing Near to his chest, but his murderous look had softened considerably. He just sighed and leaned more on to Near.

"Mello…" he heard Near say.

"Hmm?"

"You're suffocating me," Near's muffled voice said.

Mello quickly released his death grip on the younger boy and Near pulled away, his face burning red.

"Sorry," mumbled Mello.

"It's fine," Near said, twirling his hair more vigorously than usual.

The two sat there in silence, neither really knowing what to say. It was only after a few more minutes that Mello suggested they go downstairs, as most of the guests were probably already there. Near nodded uncertainly and followed Mello downstairs. There were nine people, all dressed in royal attire, sitting at the giant banquet table. Near recognized some of them, but could not put most faces to names. They didn't seem to notice Mello and Near come down the stairs…until Mello's voice boomed throughout the echoing hall.

"Hello!"

Mello's voice reverberated through the hall. It was not the soft, kind voice he usually used with Near, but the voice of a powerful and wise ruler. As the others saw him, they all rose and bowed. Their bows were not nearly as deep as the housekeepers, but were still bows no less. After that, all eyes traveled to Near, who was currently trying to hide behind Mello.

I appreciate you all coming on such short notice," Mello said, seemingly gliding towards the table. He stopped at the foot of it, and gestured for the other guests to follow him. Mello led the way to the courtyard, Near close behind him, resisting the urge to hold his hand. When they finally arrived at the courtyard, there was entertainment as far as the eye could see. There were jesters, singers, poets, acrobats, animal trainers, and strikingly beautiful dancers everywhere. As the other guests started to mingle, Mello pulled Near off to the side and started explaining things.

"Okay. You already know two princes, Me and Matt. That leaves 8 to go. We'll do princesses first, m'kay? That's Princess Takada," he said, pointing to a woman in a light green dress. She was fluffing her short, black hair and pursing her bright red lips at a dark-haired prince that was slouching next to another prince with honey-colored eyes.

"Real bitch that one is. That one's Princess Amane, but she prefers Misa-Misa," explained Mello, gesturing to a blonde princess in a pink, frilly dress, who was already on her fourth glass of champagne.

"The last one is Princess Rem. Not a lotta girls," he said, motioning towards a princess that was dressed in a white dress with purple jewelry and hair.

"People think she has the hots for Misa-Misa. Anyway, on to princes. There's Me, Matt, Light Yagami, Beyond Birthday, L Lawliet, Teru Mikami, and Ryuk Nobody-cares-what-his-last-name-is," he said, pointing them out in turn.

Near just continued to nod, making a mental note of everything Mello said.

"Misa, Takada, L, Mikami, and Matt all like Light; Beyond likes L; Rem likes Misa; Ryuk likes Rem…and the list could go on, but that'd take forever," sighed Mello.

"Who do you like?" asked Near bashfully.

"Out of this "royalty?" Nobody. I already like…" Mello coughed. "…Somebody else."

Just as Near was about to ask who, Matt ran up and glomped Mello.

"I haven't seen you, since, like, five minutes ago!" he said cheerily.

Now it was Near who wanted to smack him.

Mello went on to continue roughhousing with Matt, and Near felt a twang of something in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't quite place it, but it was definitely not a good feeling. He didn't see how he could be feeling anything like that towards Mello, who had been nothing but kind and loving, had never taken advantage of him, and had tended to his every need. So why was he—

Matt.

Near was feeling this…well, feeling…towards Matt. The Matt that Mello knew so well, and the Matt that knew Mello so well. He was jealous of Matt.

Just as he made this realization, Prince Yagami came walking up to him.

"P-prince Yagami!" he stuttered, bowing. "How do you do, your highness?"

"You're just as adorable as everybody was telling me! And please, call me Light," he said, squishing Near into a hug. "L, Miki, come see how cute Mello's present is!"

Near quickly bowed and greeted the two other princes that walked up. He recognized them as Prince Lawliet and Prince Mikami. Prince Lawliet was wearing robes that were dark blue and white, and Prince Mikami was wearing very deep, emerald-green ones.

"How do you do your Highnesses? It's a pleasure to meet you both," said Near nervously. He had never been surrounded by so much royalty and extravagance in his entire life, and he was extremely petrified that he would mess up.

"You're right Kami! He is cute!" said Prince Teru.

"It's a shame he belongs to Mello. I would love to have him for myself," mused Prince Lawliet.

"I'm very flattered, your majesty!" said Near quickly, bowing again.

"He has such nice manners, doesn't he?" said Light, pulling Near into a hug again.

Near suddenly felt a cold, bony hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Prince Birthday. He looked to be almost an exact copy of L, except he was wearing blood-red velvet robes with a hood that covered part of his face, and had red eyes. He was drinking what looked to be a glass of wine, but was much darker than what they were serving…

"Hello. You must be Near, correct?"

Near nodded and bowed very deeply, remembering what Matt had said about the poison. He really didn't want to make enemies with anyone, especially not with Beyond Birthday.

"You are quite delightful…you have such big eyes, and such soft skin…" he cackled.

Mello had watched the whole spectacle of Near being hugged and squished like a stuffed animal. Truthfully, he was pissed, but he didn't know why. But when he say Beyond grab Near's chin and tilt his head up gently, rubbing the pad of his thumb on his baby-like skin, he felt like he was about to burst.

Nobody could touch HIS Near!

Wait…His Near? When did that start? Near wasn't a thing to be owned, he was a person. Mello felt bad for treating him like a gift at first, even though he kind of was. Mello vowed to treat Near with even more respect and kindness than ever. But, back to the matter at hand. B.B. had drawn Near closer to him, his gaunt hand still on Near's rounded face.

He was seriously going to kill that bastard for touching HIS Near.

Damnit. That needed to stop.

The more reviews I get, the more I'm encouraged to write (especially the smutty parts, which ARE coming up *winkwinknudge*), so clicky-clicky on that little box down there and review! Also: Never fear Matsuda fans, for there shall be Matsu in later chappies ;) If you have any ideas or requests for the story, I am always VERY glad to hear them! Let me know who YOU think should be in the story next, and what they should be. And did anyone catch that little hint of LxNear in there? No? Well, it was pretty lame. But anyway, in this story, B is kind of like Nekozawa from Ouran (with the hood and general creepiness and such). So…yeah. OOC-ness is yay! (Or not…)

~FragilePuzzle


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Woot! Cliffhanger last chappie, I know, but it doesn't really matter coz I'm updating at the same time, so….ineffective :/ Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the story so far! PLEASE, PLEASE tell me what you think. Comment, praise, critique, and/or flame, TELL ME WHAT YOU'RE FEELING! I always like to know what should be fixed.

Mello stormed over to where the petrified Near was standing. He looked scared stiff, and didn't seem like he could take his onyx eyes off of B's hypnotizing ruby-red ones. Mello grabbed Near away from Beyond, and mashed their mouths together in a sloppy, but surprisingly gentle kiss. It was only meant to let everybody there know that Near was Mello's, but Mello found himself wanting more. However, he stopped himself. After he wiped the strand of spit connecting their mouths away, he looked triumphantly at Beyond.

"Ah, ah, ah, Mello. I wasn't actually going to do anything. I was put up to it, so this exact situation would happen. But, you shall never know WHO put me up to it," Beyond cackled. "Nononono, Mello will never know…"

Beyond skulked away, still laughing like a maniac. Mello wondered WHAT that was about. All he managed to make out was that someone told Beyond to pretend like he was about to rape Near, so Mello would kiss him. Mello wondered why somebody would want to do that. It was…a mystery!

While Mello was trying to solve this "mystery," Near was simply standing in the exact spot where Mello had kissed him. He was lightly touching his fingers to his lips, which were still moist with Mello's spit. All the other royalty (or at least, those who had been paying attention) just stared. Nobody noticed, but Misa was talking with Beyond over in the corner.

"Yes…yes…I must have more…very good…"

Finally, after a few moments silence, Light spoke up.

"Well. Mello, I never would have guessed that you were gay."

"Really?" asked Matt.

"Really," replied Light.

"Well," sniffed Takada. "I knew it all along. I can always tell when a person is gay."

This caused a few others to laugh to themselves, as they all knew Takada had no such ability, or she would have stopped chasing after Light a long time ago.

"I am 87% sure that it was Princess Misa-Misa that requested B.B. do her dirty work," said Prince Lawliet, chewing on his thumbnail. "Am I right, Beyond?"

"Kukukukuku…well, I suppose I can tell Lawli…yes, it was Princess Amane who requested that I do her deed," said Beyond.

"B-chan! Why'd you—" Misa hiccupped. "—Tell him? He looks like a panda cub!"

This caused Misa to make herself go into a fit of laughter, and she spilled champagne all over her dress.

"Whoopsie-daisy!" she giggled.

"No more wine for you," said Rem, escorting her away somewhere. Ryuk followed the two, so now there were only Mello, Near, Matt, B, Light, L, Mikami and Takada left.

"Well. This is awkward," coughed Takada.

"'This is nuts is more like it," Matt said.

Everybody nodded except for Mello and Near, who were both staring off into space; Near still in shock from the kiss, and Mello trying to figure out why Misa wanted them to kiss in the first place.

---

-Later-

---

Much later, everybody was sober and at the dinner table. Mello was sitting at the head, and Near was sitting next to him. Then came Matt, Light, L, B.B., Mikami, Takada, Misa, Rem, and Ryuk. Mello was afraid something really, really, bad would happen soon, and he didn't want to be here when it did. But, he couldn't exactly leave, because he was the one who invited them. So, he would just have to deal with whatever the gods threw his way. Only a few minutes after they sat down, there was food on the table.

Everyone helped themselves to a large serving except for Misa and Takada. They seemed to be having a who-can-eat-less contest. Mello just rolled his eyes at the two and continued to make polite dinner conversation consisting of the weather and taxes. By the time the 3rd course was out, Mello though he was going to die of boredom. He'd much rather be doing…other things…like things that consisted of what he and Near were doing earlier…only better…and more…

Roger, who had just come rushing into the banquet hall, interrupted his daydreams.

"Speak or leave," he commanded.

"Sires and Ladies, I am ever so sorry to interrupt your feast, but there has been terrible news!" said Roger nervously.

"What is it? I said speak, man!" Mello commanded again.

"There are said to be bandits on the roads leading to town!" Roger explained. "They are Aiber and Wedy's gangs of thieves, assassins, and conmen, and they are blocking the roads that lead in every direction, rendering it impossible for any of the royal guests to leave the castle, lest they be assassinated!" he said, panicking.

"What?!?" yelled Mello, trying very hard not to loose his cool. He sighed and massaged his temples. "Well, there is nothing we can do about it. They will have to stay here."

"Very good, sire. It is said the Rod Ross and his gang of barbarians are in on this too, so we should guarantee the safety of the guests before anything. I will pull the drawbridge and go prepare the guest rooms."

"You do that. You are dismissed."

Roger scurried away to do his assigned tasks, and the other guests mumbled amongst themselves.

Shit! I was going to fuckin make my move tonight! Damnit!

Mello kept inwardly cursing every living thing in existence, until he could think of no more obscenities to bestow upon anything. Everybody ate his or her dinner in silence until dessert came out. Then, Mello and L practically jumped the servant that brought it to the table. Near watched amazedly as L continued to scarf down more and more sweets, until he had eaten almost a whole platter all by himself. While Light tried to decide on a cupcake, Beyond slipped some powder into his wine glass, mixing it to make sure that Light wouldn't notice any difference. This went unnoticed by everybody except Matt. Just as Light was about to take a drink, Matt noticed out of the corner of his eye and slapped the glass out of his hand. The expensive crystal shattered on the floor, and wine splashed everywhere.

"What the hell was that for?" asked Light angrily. However, when some splashed on his leg, and his skin began to sizzle and melt away, he understood.

"Damnit B, stop trying to poison me!" he yelled.

"It was only a mild kind of poison. It just eats through human flesh. That's all," B said innocently, chewing on his thumbnail and batting his eyelashes.

"Beyond…why did you try and poison Light?" asked L like he was talking to a child.

"I just…I just…IT'S BECAUSE I LOVE YOU LAWLI!!!" Beyond cried. "If he—" B pointed accusingly at Light. "--Would just stay away from you, this wouldn't happen!"

Mello sighed and asked a nearby maid to clean it up, warning her to be careful not to get any on her skin.

"Matt…" said Light admiringly, his eyes sparkling. "You saved me! How can I ever thank you?"

"Oh, ho, ho, I can think of a few ways," Matt replied slyly, wiggling his eyebrows and giving L a devious "I win" look.

Near however, was still gaping at the flesh wound Light now had. Mello noticed this, and tried to reassure him that this was normal.

"This is…normal?" he asked, shocked.

By this time, Takada and Misa were glaring daggers at Beyond, and at each other. When Takada coughed, Misa jumped up and tackled her.

"You!" she yelled, slapping Takada. "Stay away from Light!"

"Learn some manners!" snapped Takada, backhanding her.

"Ugh! You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, but I would!" replied Takada smugly.

"You…you…AHHHH!" she yelled, slapping Takada again.

Rem and Ryuk finally managed to pull the two apart, and they went huffing off to their rooms, claiming that they couldn't eat any desserts, or they would get fat. After a few more minutes, Rem went to bed, and Ryuk followed seconds later.

"Is Ryuk…a stalker?" asked Near.

Mikami nodded.

"Yes. He shows all the traits of being one. I should know, because of personal exper—" he stopped himself before he finished his sentence.

"It's okay Mikami. We all knew you were a stalker," said B.

"Well, look who's talking!" he yelled right back, turning a bright shade of red.

Seeing how all this fighting was making Near uncomfortable, Mello stood up and slammed his hands onto the table.

"NO! MORE! YELLING!" he bellowed.

Everyone stopped yelling immediately and went back to eating their desserts. After a few seconds, Mello relaxed and sat back down. He looked at Near, who, despite looking relatively calmer, was still hugging a leg to his chest and twirling his hair roughly.

"Hey…what's wrong?" asked Mello.

"Nothing," said Near quietly. "Just…thinking I guess."

"Well, stop looking so serious. Why don't you have some cake with me?" he asked.

Near went to reach for some cake, but Mello stopped him.

"I have a better idea," he said. He grabbed his fork, and put a bite of cake on it. Near took the fork in his mouth, and bit off the cake. Before Near even knew what was happening, Mello was kissing him, slipping his tongue between his lips, and taking the cake back.

"Too bad," he said, chewing up the cake he had just stolen back from Near. "If you really wanted the cake, you should have worked harder at stopping me from taking it."

Near blinked a few times, but decided he liked this 'idea'. He put his hands on Mello's shoulders, and leaned over so their mouths were touching lightly. Mello's lips were sealed shut, but Near was determined to get the damn cake back. If Mello was going to play, he was too. He had never done this, so he started out by placing small butterfly kisses on Mello's lips, trying to get them to open so he could take the cake back. When this didn't work, he began sucking and nibbling on Mello's lower lip, asking for entrance. When he did this, Mello wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist and moaned a little. Now was Near's chance! He pushed his tongue boldly past Mello's soft lips, and tasted chocolate.

"Too bad. I already swallowed," Mello said, smiling.

"Okay, please! Do that some other time!" said Mikami.

"No, no, you may continue. Misa-Misa was right…this IS interesting…" laughed B.

Light looked at him disgustedly.

"You're a voyeur!" he accused.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Okay, maybe a little."

"Jesus, we're stopping!" said Mello exasperatedly. He might have faked annoyance on the outside, but on the inside, he couldn't be happier. He and Near had their first (pretty much) real kiss. Score two for Mello! When Near wasn't looking, Matt gave Mello a thumbs-up and mouthed, "Niiiiiice!"

Mello nodded his head and smiled in thanks.

---

That night

---

All of the guests had been sent to their rooms for the night, leaving Mello the perfect opportunity. Roger, being the smart old man he is, put all of the guests in rooms of the tower across the castle from Mello and Near. That Roger was a sly old man. He really needed a big raise, or a bonus of something.

Near was going to the bathroom when Mello decided to put his plan into action. Tonight, he was going to make Near his in every sense of the word. His plan was genius, not to mention fail-safe, so as the word implies, there is no way his plan could fail. He was going to seduce Near. He went around the room, only leaving two candles lit, so dim lights flickered and shadows played across the walls. The room had burning incense everywhere, and Mello was lying on the bed, in his usual half-naked night attire.

This had better damn work.

FragilePuzzle: *sings* Review, review, review, or I'll send B.B. after you!

B.B.: Why would I listen to you?

FragilePuzzle: Cause, I'm the author.

B.B.: But you made me a creepy pedophile-voyeur that takes instructions from Misa!

FragilePuzzle: *shrugs*

B.B.: *sighs* Please review anyway, or she'll be moping around the house for days.

FragilePuzzle: It's true.

B.B.: God, you sound desperate.

FragilePuzzle: Shut up, you pedo-voyeur. *Sticks tongue out* Nyaaaaaa!

B.B.: Anyway, the more people who review, the sooner the smut will come. Possibly

even next chapter. Hey…will I be in the smut? I want to be in the smut!

FragilePuzzle: Maybe. If you're lucky and we have nice readers that request it.

B.B: Hey, you. Yeah, I'm taking to you. If you love me, you'll request to put me in

some smut with Lawli-pop.

FragilePuzzle: Hey, he said it, not me. Anyway, review if you love B, m'kay?

B.B.: Or if you love Lawli-rape! Kukukukukuku!

FragilePuzzle: Okay then…o_o See you next time! *waves*

B.B.: You're the pervert, not me!

FragilePuzzle: I'm a pervert, but you're a voyeur. That's how it is.

B.B.: *Sighs and waves goodbye*…hypocrite…


	5. Chapter 5

Trip-psyche! Oh man, you thought the smut was coming up, didn't you? Nope, cause I'm cruel like that. Anyway…maybe it is approaching. I'm kind of dreading it cause I suck at writing smutty, lemony goodness, but I'll try my hardest. But oh man, thank you to all my reviewers/favorite-ers. You guys rock my socks! All these reviews on my stories, and not one flame *sniff* You guys are great.

---

Mello was lying in bed in his half-naked attire, just waiting for Near to come back from the bathroom so he could seduce the shit out of the adorable younger boy. However, when he heard footsteps outside of the door, he chickened out. Jumping under the covers, he faked sleep, and heard Near's small feet pad across the hard floor. Near let out a little sigh at seeing that Mello was asleep, and crawled into bed with him.

"Mello…" he whispered. "You're so kind to me, but I can't repay you."

Mello wanted to roll over and yell, "Just take your clothes off, then you can repay me!" but he didn't want Near to think he was some sort of crazy rapist, so he stayed quiet. Mello slightly stiffened in surprise when he felt Near snuggle up to him. His face was pressed into his back, and his hands found their way around Mello's arm that was draped over his side.

"Goodnight…Mello."

---

Next morning

---

"GOOOOOOD MORNING MELLO-YELLOW!" Matt yelled.

"Is this gonna become a regular thing with you?" asked Mello sleepily, throwing a pillow at the other Prince's head.

"M-Mello?" Near asked drowsily. "I'm still sleepy…"

Near snuggled up to Mello again, apparently unaware of anything that was going on. He was probably still half-asleep.

"Get OUT!" hissed Mello as quiet as possible. " He's still tired!"

"Butbutbutbut, Misa and Takada are going at it again, and B's chasing Light around with a butcher's knife, and I'm hungry."

"Fuck. Off. Now."

"Noooooooo!"

"Mello?" asked Near, suddenly awake.

"What?!"

"Oh…never mind," Near whispered timidly.

Now he felt like an ass for taking his anger out on Near. He shot Matt a look again, and got out of bed. After stretching, he followed Matt downstairs to break up the ruckus that was going on.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, m'kay?"

Near nodded and watched the two depart. He hopped out of bed, throwing open the heavy velvet drapes that covered the large windows, and opened the glass doors, stepping out onto the balcony. It looked like something out of Romeo and Juliet, with the vine's roses blooming, as it was warming up. Spring was finally turning into Near's favorite season-- summer. He admired the view of the beautiful courtyard, the green grass at it's most vibrant, and butterflies flitting about the pond. After basking in the sun's warm glow for a few more minutes, he went back inside to go get changed.

He changed into a light white and gold cotton outfit, a short-sleeved tunic and a pair of shorts that went slightly past his knees. After brushing his hair, trying to get it smooth and straight like Mello's (but epically failing, as brushing it only made it more curly), he went back on to the balcony. It really was beautiful, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Maybe…he and Mello could go for a walk around the gardens? No, Mello was too busy tending to the guests to go for a walk. It was stupid and selfish to even think of that, let alone ask.

When half-an-hour had passed, and Mello still hadn't come back up, he decided to go downstairs and investigate. Being as tiny as he was, he could easily sneak around unnoticed. He discovered, after about 10 minutes, that he was lost. He opened the first door he came to, and it appeared to be servant's quarters. After opening several more doors this way, he finally came to one that had a staircase leading up. Deciding to be adventurous, he went up. He didn't remember there being another floor, so he wondered where this could lead.

After making his way up the stairs, he found himself in an attic. There was a cot, a crate with some books and a half-melted candle on it, and some other boxes of junk. He went over to look at the books, when he noticed that they were not books, but diaries. He crept over, making sure to make as little noise as possible, and sat down on the cot, opening one of the diaries. It appeared to be…Mello's? Why would Mello's diaries be up in the attic?

After reading a few entries, he decided that he should do this some other time, when he was sure not to be disturbed, so he made sure to put everything back where he had found it, and he quickly made his way down the stairs, shutting the door quietly behind him. Just as he had taken a couple of steps away from the door, Mello came running up to him.

"Oh, Near! I though you'd left or something!" he said, pulling Near into a hug.

"Leave? Why would I leave?" Near asked. "I don't have anywhere to go."

"This is your home, okay? You shouldn't leave your home."

Near didn't know why Mello was acting so strangely, but he squeezed Near tighter, and Near hated to see him hurt, so he hugged him back tentatively and promised not to leave.

"Okay, now that that's over, we're having breakfast. C'mon!"

Near was guided back to the staircase that led downstairs, and he saw the other royal guests sitting at the table. Misa seemed to have sobered up from last night's dinner champagne, and was busy glaring at Takada. B was trying to stab Light using a fruit knife without L noticing, and Matt and Mikami were seemingly having a staring contest. Near wondered if the citizens of the lands knew that they were being ruled by such strange people.

"I don't CARE what anybody says, I'm leaving!" Misa yelled. "I'll make it back to my kingdom JUST FINE!"

"If you're leaving, then I will too," Rem agreed.

"I'd better be going too," Ryuk added.

"What's all this?" asked Mello, walking up to the table. "You know that it's not safe."

"Well," started Takada. "Misa, Rem, and Ryuk are the closest neighboring kingdoms, so they should be forced to leave, just to see if it's safe for the rest of us."

"Takada—" Mello was cut off by Misa "hmph"-ing and crossing her arms.

Near just continued to watch the spectacle, until an arguing match broke out. He always hated arguments and disputes, as they made him feel uncomfortable. He sat down at the breakfast table, away from where everyone was gathered and observing a map. After picking at a piece of toast for a little while, he realized he had no appetite. He just listened to the heated discussion, and finally, it was decided that Misa, Rem, and Ryuk would be the first to leave. Misa couldn't stand being stuck here another day, Rem wanted to make sure Misa was safe, and Ryuk…he just wanted to stalk Rem.

"Very well then. It's decided. I bid you farewell, and good luck," said Mello, waving at the three.

The remaining guests, Light, L, Matt, B, Mikami, and Takada, finished their breakfast, and went off to do their own thing. However, before he left, Matt pulled Mello aside.

"So, how'd the seduction go?" Matt asked, looking at Mello with a dumb grin on his face.

"It went…awesome. Just awesome. Perfect even," replied Mello, trying to sound convincing.

"You didn't do it, did you?"

"Yes, I—"

"You chickened out, didn't you?"

"No—"

"Yes you did. Don't lie to me Mels."

Mello sighed, rubbing his temples. He tapped his foot, crossed his arms, and waited for Matt to go away. He REALLY didn't feel like discussing his failure. The perfect chance…and he lost it. Squandered it. O-freakin-bliterated it. Flushed it down the god-damn—

"I have a plan!" Matt said triumphantly. "This'll get you laid for sure!"

"What idiotic scheme have you come up with now?"

Mello rolled his eyes and frowned, but as he heard Matt's plan, his eyes widened and a smile broke out across his face.

"Matt, did I ever tell you that you're a genius?"

"Nah, but I knew I was. Best part is, it'll only take one or two weeks to be fully functional and operational in every way. And on this one, you'd better not chicken out."

---

Meanwhile…

Near was sitting over at the breakfast table, watching Mello and Matt talk. That stupid feeling of jealousy was growing again, and he didn't know what he could do about it. Really, jealousy was such a petty feeling. Only meant for weak-willed people and lovers. He knew he definitely wasn't weak-willed, so that only meant that he was madly in love with the—

Wait…love?

There was no way he could love Mello. He had been one of the nicest people Near had ever met, not to mention he cared for him and tended to his every whim, but love? Already? Was that even possible? He chose to worry about it later, and decided that it was time to be brave. The time had come. He was going to ask Mello on a walk.

"Mello?" he said shyly, tugging on the blonde's arm.

"Huh?" Mello asked, turning around.

"Would you…" Near took a big intake of breath. "Liketotakeawalkwithme?"

"What? You'll have to talk slower, I couldn't understand you. But, before you say anything, I have a favor to ask of you."

Near just looked at him with his big eyes, twirling his hair apprehensively.

"Would you accompany me on a walk through the gardens?"

Near's eyes widened a bit, and he was relieved that he wasn't the one who had to ask. He nodded quickly, and the two walked off towards the arbor. It was a gorgeous day, so the birds were chirping, there were butterflies fluttering around the vibrant-colored flowers, and the grass was still covered with drops of morning dew. Mello didn't think there could have been a better day to put his (Matt's) plan into action. It would be just perfect.

"Wow…" Near sighed. "It's a really nice day out."

"It is, isn't it?" Mello agreed.

As Near was busy staring at the puffy white clouds, Mello gathered up his courage and slipped Near's one free hand (as the other was twirling his hair) into his own. Near's hands were slightly cold, but very soft, and his slender fingers fit perfectly between Mello's own. Near looked at him, and then their hands, and then at Mello again. He had a surprised sort of look in his face, but he made no move to stop Mello.

"Couldn't have you getting lost, now could we?"

His pale skin flushed as Mello chuckled, but he gripped on to Mello's hand, and tugged on his hair some more. They walked through the gardens, admiring the flowers and trees in silence, listening to nothing but the sounds of nature, each other's breathing, and the soft squishing noise their feet made on the wet grass. Then, Mello led them discreetly over to the pond; making sure Near didn't realize he was purposefully steering them there. They arrived at the crystal-blue pond that Near had seen from the bedroom window, and moved toward the shade of a nearby willow tree. However, Near was walking along the very edge of the deep pond, as it was dug out, and therefore did not have a natural shoreline. Instead, the edge plummeted about 30 feet as soon as the water started.

The pond was filled with beautiful fish that Mello was very proud of, and took care of personally. Near leaned over the edge of the pond, looking at the fish, when he slipped. The mud on the bank was wet, so it was easy to lose your balance and fall, and that's exactly what Near did. His hand slipped out of Mello's, and he splashed into the water, banging his head on one of the decorative rocks that rose up from the bottom of the pond. There was a trickle of blood on the rock, and Mello guessed he had hit his head really hard. Near was about 10 feet down before Mello's brain actually computed what was going on, and the prince immediately jumped in after him.

Mello found him about 20 feet down. Near's shirt was caught on one of the rocks, and no matter how hard Mello tried, it wouldn't come free. Mello was running out of air, and Near probably was too, so Mello decided to do the only logical solution. He swam back up to the surface, grabbed a sharp, pointy rock that was lying next to the bank, took a deep breath, and swam back under. It took him awhile to find Near again, because it was so dark and murky. Now, it had been about four minutes since Near had any air.

He found Near and began to try and tear his shirt off. After about another 40 seconds, he managed to rip Near's shirt off, and towed the smaller boy to the surface. After dragging his limp body out of the water, Mello coughed and sputtered, spitting up the water he had swallowed. He checked Near's pulse, and he couldn't feel anything. He quickly checked again, and felt one small flutter; small enough to make him think it could have been a trick. Then, he noticed Near wasn't breathing.

"Near!" he yelled, shaking the smaller boy. "Near!"

After pushing on his chest a few times, Mello decided that this wasn't working. He hesitated for a second, but then decided that Near's life was worth more than a little embarrassment later. He pushed their lips together, and tried to force Near's lungs to take in his air. He did this a few more times, and felt Near choke. The albino boy shot up and began hacking out water, clutching his stomach and gasping for air.

"Near, are you okay?" Mello asked, noticing the gash that covered his forehead.

"Y-yeah, I think," he said shakily. "But Mello, what happened?"

"You were looking at the fish and the mud is slippery so you kind of slipped and hit your head on a rock and you passed out so I jumped in after you and then your shirt got stuck on a rock so I had to rip it off and I dragged you to the surface and then you weren't breathing so I had to give you mouth-to-mouth and you're bleeding and I'm really sorry."

Mello quickly rambled this out all in one breath, and Near just looked at him with the same kind of admiration in his eyes that Light had when Matt saved him.

"So…you saved my life?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"M-Mello, you would really risk your life to save me?"

"Of course," Mello said, blushing slightly.

"Thank you."

Near surprised Mello by being bold. He crawled across the green grass, over to where Mello was sitting, and put a hand on either side of the prince, his palms resting in the soft lawn. Near moved his face so their noses were practically tip-to-tip, and ever so slightly touched their lips together. He closed his eyes, but Mello's widened in shock. After a few moments, Near opened his eyes and backed away.

"Sorry…" he whispered.

Mello wasn't. He leaned over Near and gently pushed the smaller boy down on to the grass, his glistening-wet white hair contrasting against the deep green of the meadow. Mello looked into Near's eyes for a second, and then tenderly touched their lips together again. He pulled away, to see if Near had any objections, but it didn't seem as if the small boy did. So, he kissed him again, harder this time, and felt Near wrap his thin arms around his neck. Near's spindly fingers found their way into Mello's hair, and began to twirl it the way he did with his own.

Mello wanted more of Near. He licked the petite boy's soft lower lip, requesting access, and Near immediately complied. Mello slipped his tongue inside Near's mouth, and began to explore every inch, running his tongue along his perfect teeth. Mello didn't understand why people always pulled away during kisses like this, as he always thought you could just breathe through your nose, but he was wrong. Kissing like this took lots of air. He pulled away, seeing the flushed Near try and gasp for air too. Before the younger boy could even catch his breath, Mello moved his mouth, positioning it on Near's neck, right behind his ear. He licked the area gently, seeing if he could get a reaction out of Near.

"Mel-lo! Ngh…"

Oh, he could. He licked it again, moving his mouth even lower, and attacking the place where Near's shoulder and neck met. He bit and licked at it, causing a big purple mark to blossom, officially marking Near as his own. His hands began to explore Near's bare chest, his fingertips running up and down Near's sides and causing him to shiver. Kissing up his jaw, he worked his way back up to Near's mouth and took advantage of the fact that his eyes were closed, and his lips were slightly parted as to allow a little air to pass through. He crawled on top of Near, putting an arm and leg on either side of him, and kissed him again.

"Mmmmn…" Near moaned into the kiss.

Mello smirked and moved his mouth to Near's neck again, making him gasp.

"Near…" he whispered, nibbling on his earlobe.

"HEY, MELLO!" Matt yelled, walking out into the clearing with Light and L. "MELLOOOOOO!"

The three noticed that Mello and Near were currently lying in the grass and making out, but they made no attempt to do anything. Suddenly, B walked up.

"No need to stop, don't mind us," he said, grinning.

Mello just got up, trying to maintain what little dignity he had left, and extended a hand to Near, as to help him up.

"Let's go get you warmed up," Mello said, grabbing on to Near's hand and leading him past the other four. "Don't want you to get pneumonia."

Near just blushed and looked at the grass, following Mello inside.

"Stop talking so dirty Mels!" Matt yelled after them.

Mello didn't respond.

"Soooo…Light…" Matt started. "What's goin on?"

"L just rolled his eyes at Matt, and started to slouch away. However, B stopped him. The raven's copy grabbed him and dragged him off in another direction, groping him in the process.

"Lawli, I have a question," he said. "Does this rag smell like chloroform to you?"

L took a big whiff, seeing if it smelled like chloroform or not, and immediately passed out, falling on to B.

"Worked like a charm…Heh heh heh…" B laughed, kissing the prince and dragging him away somewhere.

---

"So, your hair's looking pretty good today Yagami. Did you do anything special?" asked Matt, knowing Light liked to talk about his hair.

"Oh yeah, well I, like…"

Matt tuned him out, occasionally nodding and saying "Uhuh" and "Oh, I'll have to try that!" After a while, he interrupted Light.

"Wanna go somewhere and do something?"

Light was being naive, so he nodded and followed Matt into the castle. Oh, if he only knew…

---

Mello had taken Near back up to the room and bandaged his forehead. It seemed that the gash wasn't very deep, and not serious, and Near insisted that he was fine. Mello had still made and appointment with his special doctor, and it was scheduled for the next day.

"You're probably cold, aren't you?" Mello asked Near.

"A little," he replied.

Mello grabbed a soft blanket off the bed, and sat Near down on the edge of the mattress. He climbed behind the shivering boy and wrapped the blanket around his bare torso, wrapping his arms around him at the same time. After a few minutes, Near stopped shivering, and Mello laid him back on the bed, propping his head on the pillows.

"Why don't you take a nap or something?" Mello suggested.

"I'm not tired."

Near shed the blanket, seemingly not cold anymore, and moved himself on to Mello's lap. He wrapped his arms around Mello's bare torso, as the prince had taken of his sopping wet clothes as well. Nuzzling his head into the crook of Mello's neck, he closed his eyes and, despite what he said, fell asleep. Mello set him back down on the bed and pried his arms off of his torso. Wishing Near sweet dreams, he kissed him on the forehead and left the room, closing the bedroom door behind him.

"Goodnight…Near."

---

Tell me honestly, did I do okay on the kissing? Ah, well, I tried. And why a drowning scene? Because you can't have a romance story without a clichéd drowning scene. And yes, that was some random BxL and LxM in there. Dealio with it. B and L are prolly gonna get together. Then, Matt and Light, and I don't know who else. Tell me who you think!

~FragilePuzzle

BB: That wasn't smut!

FragilePuzzle: Yes it was. I just didn't go into details. But, we can all guess what happened.

BB: Hohohoho, I don't need to guess.

Matt: WTF was that! I barely got any screen time with Light!

Light: Ha, you barely got any screen time, just like in the anime.

Matt: Anime? What are you talking about?

L: You made me get violated by BEYOND? And you didn't even talk about it, it was just THERE!?

FragilePuzzle: Look, you guys, this story is supposed to be about Mello and Near. You're lucky I even mentioned you at all. I could have gotten rid of you like I did Misa, Ryuk, and Rem. Is that what you want? Or would you prefer the smut hints I throw in?

L: Rape is NOT smut.

BB: Lawli-pop, I rape because I care! You should have learned that from yaoi by now. It's never really RAPE, it's just "tough love."

FragilePuzzle: What he said.

Light: Anyway, review, or she'll be depressed for days. She's that pathetic.

FragilePuzzle: Yup. I am. Wait, what?


	6. Chapter 6

Next chappie=here! Hell yah! Anyways, is the story okay so far? I'm nervous…but, this chapter does have a little gore in it. You'll see why. The beginning of this chapter is serious business indeed. Vry srs. :/

---

Mello walked down the hallways, not really knowing where he was going, just wandering. He was worried about Near, but he needed to take a walk and clear his mind. Worry was the number one thing that was going through his head right now, he knew that much, but there was something else. There was fear too. Fear that Near would leave, and he wouldn't ever see him again, just like his parents had done to him. Even though their deaths were not their own fault, Mello still blamed them for leaving him all alone.

But he wasn't alone now. Not anymore.

He finally had somebody, and he was going to hold on for dear life.

His parents had died when he was six years old. The family was traveling to a land across the sea, for some sort of party, and Mello was coming with them. His whole family—his parents, himself, and his three older brothers—were on a large ship, and it was nighttime when the incident happened. There was a loud boom, and the vessel rocked violently. They were being attacked by pirates.

---

Flashback

---

"Mommy…"

"MOMMY!"

Mello was in his room when the ship began shuddering. He noticed that water was leaking underneath his door, and he could hear loud screams and the clinking of swords coming from up on the deck. Setting the book he had been reading on the nightstand, he splashed across the water, which was now ankle-high, and opened his door. He ran down the corridor to his parent's room, but they weren't there. He checked his brother's rooms individually, but they weren't there either.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Cautiously, he made his way towards the stairs that led to the deck. He could hear thuds coming from above the trapdoor, and then a loud thunk. He tried to push open the trapdoor, and after a few minutes of struggling, it finally swung open. He climbed out cautiously, and saw chaos everywhere. Nobody seemed to notice him, so he climbed the rest of the way out. He turned to see what was blocking the trapdoor from opening easily, as it should have done, and he screamed.

Lying on the trapdoor was his oldest brother, Will's, mangled, bloody body. His head had been almost completely severed off, and there were cuts and gashes all over him. His eyes were closed, and Mello knew that he was just asleep, because this couldn't really be happening.

"Will!" he said, shaking his brother. "Stop joking around, wake up, it's not funny!"

Suddenly, a beefy man grabbed him, and pulled him up in the air. He had long, scraggly hair, and lots of jewelry on. One of his eyes was gone, and his face was missing chunks that had scarred over a long time ago. In comparison to Mello's flawless skin, he looked like a monster.

"So, ye must be their youngest, ay?"

"Let me go!" Mello cried, kicking and struggling.

"No, I'm fer sure gong ta kill ye."

"Help!" screamed Mello. "Please, somebody!"

Just then, Mello's father, the king, stabbed the pirate captain in the back. Mello was dropped, falling to the ground, and his dad helped him up, smiling at him and ruffling his blonde hair. However, he didn't have time to say anything, as his dad was immediately surrounded by five other pirates. Mello was mercilessly shoved out of the way, as a heir was not as good as the king himself.

"Dad, no!" he yelled, trying to push his way through the circle of pirates that surrounded his father.

His dad bravely tried to fight them off, but he was no match. The last thing Mello saw of his dad was his severed head being held up like a trophy. The young blonde quickly ran, looking for his mother or his two other brothers. He found his mother and his 17-year-old brother, Jack, towards the back of the ship.

"Mommy!" he said breathlessly, running up and giving his mother a hug. "Jack!"

"Mello, stay here and protect your mother," Jack said. "I'm going to go find Turner."

Turner was Mello's youngest brother; he was only 15 years old. Mello had always wanted to be brave like his brothers, so he nodded and hugged Jack before his brother ran off. Suddenly, their butler, Roger, ran up to the two of them.

"Madame, sire, we must leave the ship! I have prepared a lifeboat for the two of you."

Mello's mom, Annette, nodded, and the two of them ran towards the side of the ship, getting ready to jump off and swim the short distance to the lifeboat.

"Mello, wait," said his mother. "Take this, just in case anything happens to me."

His mom took off a rosary she had around her neck. It was beautiful; made of silver and rubies with a small cross charm that hung off of the end. She placed it around his neck and kissed him on the forehead.

"You've always been such a good son, Mello. I love you."

And those were the last words that left his mother's lips. A shower of arrows rained down, about two-thirds of them hitting her. Her body went limp, and she fell backwards off the side of the ship, splashing into the water below. Mello quickly leaned over the side of the ship and saw her floating there. Blood was staining the water around her crimson-red, and her blonde hair and white dress were billowing in the water.

"Mommy…" he whimpered as she sank beneath the murky black water.

Mello didn't remember much after that. He and Roger had made it to the lifeboat, and he remembered seeing a big ball of fire on the horizon. Their ship, along with his parents and brothers, was burning. He remembered how Roger had to hold him back to stop him from jumping out of the lifeboat and swimming back to save his parents. He remembered the feeling of being completely alone.

---

End Flashback

---

Mello cursed angrily, kicking a nearby wall. He grabbed the rosary that always hung around his neck. His mother's. It still had the words, "To my dearest Annette," inscribed on the back, because it was a gift from his father to his mother. He wondered if things might have been different, had his family never gone on the trip. Even though he didn't remember much about them, he missed his family. But then, a sudden bolt of realization struck him. If things hadn't happened exactly the way they did, he would have never been able to meet Near. Mello decided that Near was his little guardian angel, his gift, something to replace the hole in his heart that his parent's absence had left.

Now that he though about it, his parents would have wanted things to work out this way. They were always kind, gentle, and generous, while also being strong and wise rulers. Mello aspired to be just like them. Before he knew it, he found himself outside, right in the spot he had been with Near only an hour ago. Sitting down, he dipped his bare feet into the cool water of the lake, making tiny ripples. After a few minutes, he got up and strolled towards his secret place. Well…it wasn't really secret, as everyone knew where it was, but they would never look for him there. There was a small spot in the orchard that was thick with trees, and he liked to climb to the top of the tallest one and sit there, feeling the wind.

When he got there, he scaled the tree easily, resting on the very top branch. The wind whipped his hair into his face, but he didn't notice. He just observed the puffy clouds that were lazily floating along, being blown along by the breeze. Sometimes, he wished he could be one of those clouds. No particular destination, no stupid obligations, just doing whatever the wind willed.

---

Near awoke from his nightmare suddenly. He couldn't remember what it was about, but he had soaked the bedsheets in sweat, and he was tangled up in his covers. Noticing that Mello wasn't there, he walked over to the closet, picking out a lightweight shirt and slipping it over his head. Although his pants were dry, they still smelled like pond water, so he changed those too. Handing his clothes to a maid, that had just entered the room, he waited for her to leave, and then stepped out on the balcony. He could see the palace's whole front yard from there, including the place he and Mello had kissed, down by the lake. Scanning the yard, he saw a bright flash of blonde come from the top of one of the trees. He memorized which tree it was, and quickly ran downstairs.

He didn't get lost this time, much to his pleasure, and he ran across the courtyard, looking for the tree where he had spotted Mello. After about three minutes of searching fruitlessly, he heard something. Coming from the top of a nearby tree was the sound of someone singing. They were singing in another language, so Near couldn't tell what they were saying, but he knew the voice had to be Mello.

"Mello?" he yelled, his voice being partially drowned out by the wind.

The singing stopped, and Near saw a flash of black. Mello had climbed down halfway and jumped, landing straight in front of the shocked boy.

"Mello. I didn't know where you were."

Mello just smiled and looked at him. He was still in his clothes from earlier, shirtless and a pair of long pants. Near noticed a rosary hung around his neck, and Mello was fiddling with the beads on it.

"Hey…" said Mello. "Is there something you need?"

"No, I just wanted to know where you were. What were you doing up there anyway?"

"Thinking," Mello replied, staring off into the distance.

"Oh."

Mello walked a few feet, stepping behind a tree, and came back a second later with a pink flower that he had, apparently, just picked.

"Here. You like flowers, right?"

"Y-yeah," Near stuttered dumbly.

He took the pink flower and smelled it. It was a soft cherry color, with specks of white, and it smelled like a carnation. But, the bee that was inside of it, hiding amongst the petals wasn't very happy about somebody disturbing it's feeding time. It buzzed out and stung Near on the face, leaving a big angry welt. Near winced, his hand going to his cheek to nurse his newfound wound. The bee fell to the ground, dead, but Mello looked infuriated.

"Motherfuckin BEE!" he yelled, stepping on it and squishing it into the ground.

"Mello, I'm pretty sure it's de—"

"HOW DARE YOU STING NEAR!?"

"Mello, it died after—"

"GO TO HELL!"

"Mello! I'm fine!" Near finally said.

Mello looked up, his angry appearance gone.

"You sure?"

Near nodded, and Mello sighed happily. The blonde ran his fingers through his hair, and examined the angry red wound on Near's cheek. He pressed his lips to it gently, making Near hiss slightly from the pain. Mello moved the kiss from his sting, to his small pink lips, feeling not an urge, but a NEED to kiss him again. This time, Near eagerly returned the kiss, pressing his body up against Mello's. Mello licked Near's lower lip, and Near opened his mouth without hesitating. Unlike the last kiss, a small battle for dominance occurred; one that Near quickly lost. This was their moment, and no one else could bear witness to it.

Suddenly, they heard a rustle and a crack coming from somewhere behind them. Mello turned around and saw B, stepping out from the bushes.

"B? How long have you been there?" Mello asked, staring at him disgustedly.

" Oh, only about ten minutes or so," he said, chewing on his thumb and looking uncannily like L.

Near blushed, knowing that the private moment between he and Mello was no longer private. Mello rolled his eyes and started towards the castle, Near and B following close behind. Near could feel B's eyes peeking out at him from under the hood, just drilling holes in his back. He unintentionally shuddered, getting the willies just thinking about Beyond. He was easily the creepiest person Near had ever met. Deciding that a little bit of dignity could be sacrificed to secure his safety, Near quickly stumbled towards Mello, running to catch up with the prince's large strides. He clung on to Mello's arm, glancing back at B, who was still staring at him eerily and grinning.

They walked back into the castle, and when they finally got in, the guests were sitting around the table. There was an awkward silence, as nobody really knew what to say. So, they ate their dinner and went back to their respective rooms. Mello couldn't wait for them to leave, as it was getting pretty old, having them around the castle all of the time. Besides, he had to get rid of them soon, or his (Matt's) plan wouldn't work. This called for drastic action.

"Hey Near, can you go wait upstairs in the bedroom for me? I have to speak with Roger for a moment."

"Of course," Near said, heading towards the stairs.

Mello beckoned Roger over and made sure nobody was listening in on them.

"Roger, I need you to dispatch the royal army. They NEED to have the roads clear by tomorrow, so the guests are able to leave," instructed Mello.

"Yes, of course milord," said Roger, bowing and shuffling off to go give the soldiers their instructions.

Mello smoothed down his hair and started walking up the stairs. The seduction would never work with Matt around, as he had some sort of porn-senses and always interrupted right when it was about to get to the good part. He couldn't have that.

Little to Mello's knowledge, Roger had dispatched the army hours ago. The roads would be clear in less than a night. He wanted nothing more than to see little master Mello happy, because that's what the king and queen would have wanted. Now, he had served his previous masters to his fullest extent, and he could leave this world happily, knowing he made a difference, and had fulfilled his duties. He was bound for a better place…

The land of sleep.

Well, could you blame him? He was tired from a day full of plotting and bossing people around. Well, at least he could look forward to retirement. And with that, he lay down and closed his eyes, preparing for tomorrow.

---

Oh gosh, this was horrible, wasn't it? I had to explain why Mello's parents weren't ruling the kingdom. And everybody knows that angsty heroes must have horribly tragic pasts. Well…next chapter is the…Lemon. *faints* So basically, that means you should stop reading while you're ahead. It's not my fault if your eyeballs bleed from my horrible lemon-writing skills. Short chappie, I know. *cries*

~FragilePuzzle


	7. Chapter 7

I'm sooooo sorry! Please don't hate me forever, but there's only a (really lame) lime in this chapter. *cringes* Umm…the lemon is in two more chapters…waaaaah, this is terrible! I'm sorry! *cries* But…most of this chapter consists of the lime, that's why it's short.

---

After talking to Roger, Mello made his way upstairs to his bedroom. He locked the door behind him, making sure that Matt (or anybody else, for that matter) could not get in. Matt's porn-senses always knew. Little did Mello know, Matt was busy doing something else at the moment.

Namely, Light Yagami.

But, enough of that.

Near was sitting on the chair next to the fireplace, just staring at the crackling flames, seemingly lost in thought. Mello leaned over the back of the armchair but Near didn't even seem to notice him. It wasn't until Mello walked right in front of him; picked him up, and set him in his lap did he pay any attention.

"Why don't we go to bed?" Mello suggested. "You seem pretty tired."

"It's not that I'm tired, per say. I just have a lot to think about," he explained, getting off of Mello's lap and walking over to the bed, standing by the side of it.

Mello nodded in agreement. The two stood there in silence for a while, Mello just staring at Near's face, which seemed to almost… glow… in the light of the full moon that was pouring in through the open window. He thought about the past few days, and he thought about the next few as well. He wondered what Near was thinking and feeling. He wondered if Near felt the same way about him. It was a long time before either of them spoke up.

"Mello…" Near started. "May I…kiss you?"

Mello grinned and pulled Near's face close to his, their lips being only millimeters away from each other, and whispered,

"Go ahead."

Near hesitated for a second, but then pushed their lips together, a bit uncertainly. He thought that Mello's lips tasted like the chocolate cake he had eaten at dinner, and Mello thought that Near's tasted slightly of vanilla. Mello pulled the smaller boy closer, making sure that their bodies were as close as possible, and not a gap of space was separating them.

'It feels so nice…to have someone to hold…but will this feeling last?'

'He's so warm…I wonder, will he always be that way…and will I still be around to find out?'

They continued kissing, everything being slow and solely for the purpose of pleasure. The way Mello would run his fingers up Near's shirt and make them dance up his sides and the arch of his back? Pleasure. The way Near would twirl Mello's golden strands of hair as if they were his own? Pleasure. The way their hips would grind up against each other, even unintentionally? Pleasure. The way Mello would bruise Near's lips with his dominating kisses? Pleasure. The way they would take their slow, slow time? Pleasure. After all, why bother rushing when you had all the time in the world?

Mello's lips left Near only for a moment— just to take off his shirt, but as soon as it was off, Mello immediately began kissing his shoulder. He worked his way up the side of Near's neck, kissing behind his ear and nipping at his jaw, each little mewl of pleasure Near made giving him small trembles of longing. Mello's lips reached Near's and stole a chaste and gentle kiss before beginning to work his way back down, leaving a glistening wet trail of kisses down his throat. He could feel Near make small moaning noises, ones that were not leaving his mouth… that had to change.

He gently pushed Near back on to the bed, his lips not leaving the soft skin of his neck. After he made sure Near was comfortable, he started to kiss his quickly rising-and-falling chest, working his way down and occasionally leaving a small bite mark here and there. Mello reached his navel, dipping his tongue in and out of it and making Near shudder in pleasure.

"Ahh…" he moaned softly, his eyes half-closed.

Mello smirked against his skin and worked his way down lower. He began to kiss Near's hip while undoing the complicated laces on his pants, sliding the white material off and throwing it to some dark corner of the room. Opening and bending his legs slightly, Mello kissed his inner thigh, making Near snap out of his lust-induced trance.

"Mello, stop! You c-can't!" he said breathily, shoving Mello away.

"Can't what?" asked Mello.

Near looked at him with scared eyes, and Mello understood what he was talking about.

"I-It will just e-end up hurting," he stuttered, sitting up and covering himself with the blanket.

"Shhh…" Mello whispered. "If you trust me, I promise I'll make it feel good."

"Y-you can't! You c-can't, and you won't!" Near said, pushing Mello away again.

"I promise…I wouldn't ever hurt you," Mello said, a bit hurt at Near's accusations.

Mello pushed Near's sweaty bangs away from his forehead and kissed it soothingly. He pulled the smaller boy into his lap and made a silent vow that he would protect Near. Mello promised, to nobody but himself, that nothing bad would ever befall him. Kissing Near's neck softly and rubbing his back; he tried to reassure the boy.

"Shhh, it's okay. We don't have to do anything if you don't want to."

Near seemed to contemplate this for a moment, but quietly whispered,

"Would you hurt me, Mello?"

"Never."

This time, Near didn't protest when Mello pushed him back on the bed. His head hit the soft pillows, and he just looked at Mello from underneath a veil of bangs. Mello resumed kissing the inside of his smooth thighs, making Near shiver and gasp again. Mello, wanting to hear more, continued to work his way up, lightly flicking his tongue out of his mouth. Now both Mello and Near's erections were getting to the point where it was agonizing, and Near whimpered as Mello's silky-smooth hair brushed his painfully hard shaft.

"Mello…" Near gasped.

Mello looked up and saw that Near's normally pale skin was flushed a bright red color, and he was straining to try and string together coherent sentences. Mello wanted to see if Near would react well, making sure he wouldn't freak out again, so he gently licked the head of Near's swollen length.

"Mnnnnm…"

Mello looked up and saw Near fisting the bedsheets, a look between pain and pleasure on his face, and he felt bad for making him wait so long. Near let out a strangled cry as Mello took him fully in his mouth, having to bite down on his lower lip to keep from screaming.

"Hahhhh! Mello!" he groaned, trying hard to get intelligible words out.

Near closed his eyes fully and tried to buck his hips up, but Mello held them down, making an effort to try and be gentle. Near's lips kept opening in silent screams, but no sound would come out. However, when Mello started to bob his head up and down, Near moved his hands from the bedsheets to Mello's hair, tangling his fingers in the blonde strands and moaning loud enough for the whole castle to hear. Still, Mello didn't mind.

"Mello, f-faster, pl—ahhh—ease!" he pleaded as Mello began to slow down.

Mello complied, speeding up and dragging his tongue along Near's sensitive vein, making him bite his lip so hard it bled. Near's eyes were shut tight, and he was pulling on Mello's hair so hard, it hurt. Breathing heavily, his face was a bright fuchsia and his body was dripping in sweat. It was easily one of the most enticing sights Mello had ever laid eyes on. Tasting a lot of pre-come in his mouth, he knew Near wouldn't last very much longer.

"M-Mello!"

"Hmm?" Mello hummed, sending vibrations up Near's spine.

"Ahhhh! Mello, I'm—nghhh—g-going to—"

Near didn't have time to say anything else before he arched his back off of the bed, coming into Mello's mouth and screaming his name. Mello didn't spit it out like Near expected him to; he just swallowed around Near, sending one last quiver of pleasure through his small body. Slowly removing his mouth, Mello licked his lips and kissed Near one last time, wiping off the blood that was dripping out of the teeth marks residing in his lower lip.

"I told you," he said, smiling.

"You…did…" Near gasped, trying to catch his breath.

Mello pulled the smaller boy close and Near buried his face in the crook of Mello's neck, his warm breath making Mello shiver slightly.

"Good night…Mello…" Near whispered, immediately falling asleep.

"Good night Near."

Mello wrapped his arm around Near, holding him protectively, and just watched him sleep serenely. He managed to get out of bed without waking Near up, and went into the empty bedroom across the hall, going to take care of his problem that had been ignored for too long. When he came back into the room, Near was still sleeping soundly, the moonlight being the only thing lighting the room. Sliding his clothes off, he slipped into the bed and pulled Near back into his arms.

"…sleep tight…" he mumbled, falling to sleep.

---

The next morning

---

The next morning, everybody was gone, just as Roger had predicted. Everybody… except for Matt. He knocked on the door of Mello's room, knowing that if the sounds he heard last night were any indication, Mello would be awake, thinking about things.

"Come in," came a voice. "But be quiet."

Matt opened the door and saw Mello standing out on the balcony, observing the morning sunrise. Near was lying in the giant bed, still asleep.

"Hey. You know, he is pretty cute," said Matt, leaning over and observing the sleeping Near.

"I know. I owe you big time. You wait until your birthday," Mello said, walking into the room and flashing a genuine, yet sort of sad smile towards his friend.

"Can you believe they were auctioning him off?"

Mello froze. Now that he thought about it, he really had no idea HOW Matt had gotten Near. How could he have not even thought about that?

"A-auctioned?"

"Yeah, he didn't tell you? When I bought him, it kept him from being sold as some sort of slave. That's probably why he's so quiet around people. Shy type, ya know?"

It all clicked. That's why Near had been so timid and apprehensive around people. Why he had all of those horrible bruises and scrapes, and why he flinched like he was going to be hit every time he did something wrong. Why he didn't like physical contact, and why he had seemed so terrified when Mello undressed him.

"Did they say why he was being auctioned off?" Mello said, trying to keep his rage suppressed.

"Lets see…he was an orphan until somebody bought him when he was about four. Then, he was just sold from person to person, I guess."

"Oh."

Matt looked at the blonde-haired prince. He was absolutely furious, although he tried not to show it. His clenched fists were shaking, and he was staring at the ground, his face hidden under his bangs.

"You love him, don't you?" Matt asked softly.

"Th-that's just… stupid. I can't love him."

"Mello, you don't choose whether you want to love somebody or not. You don't choose who you want to be with, or when you fall in love either. It just…happens."

"I don't, I can't, and I never will! Now, get out!" Mello said, pointing towards the door angrily.

"Okay Mels, whatever you want. I'll see you later," Matt said, a sad smile on his face.

However, what the two princes didn't know was that Near had heard the last 30 seconds of the conversation. Mello didn't love him. Of course not. That was just wistful thinking. Last night—it didn't mean anything. Just a quick, one-night stand. Why would the prince love HIM of all people? A few tears slipped out of Near's eyes, and he only began to fully cry when Mello left the room. Sobs wracked his body as he dragged himself out of bed and picked out some clothes, wiping off the sweat and come from the night before. Sitting down on the foot of the bed, still undressed, he put his face into his hands, and cried. Cried for his lost love, the one who didn't, couldn't, and never would love him.

He decided that if he was going to leave, the least he could do was tell Mello. However, he didn't feel like facing the prince, so he grabbed a scrap of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink off of Mello's desk, deciding to write a note. Setting it somewhere he knew Mello would see it, he finally stopped crying. What good would it do? It was just wasting tears.

Pulling himself out of his river of self-pity, he got dressed, pulling on some clothes he realized were Mello's. They smelled like him. Not really caring, he walked downstairs, his eyes still red and puffy from crying. He walked out the front door, nobody noticing him, across the moat's bridge, nobody noticing him, and out the front gate, nobody noticing him, leaving the castle behind. He might not have anywhere to go, but having a place in nowhere was better than not having a place in somewhere.

---

Back at the castle

---

Mello was angry with himself. He couldn't face the facts; he couldn't just admit that he loved Near. Nope, he had to stand high and mighty; after all, he was the badass Prince Mello. He couldn't possibly love anybody. Besides, last night didn't mean anything to Near. It was just a one-night stand, solely lust—not love. Mello made his way up to the attic, the one that held his diaries, the one that kept his secrets. However, today, he didn't come up there to write. He came up there to lie in his cot and wallow in his misery and self-pity.

Locking the door behind him, he made his way slowly up the stairs, a few tears dripping from his ice-blue eyes. Except, Mello didn't cry. He wouldn't waste his tears on a lost cause. Looking out of the one small, circular window that lit the attic with daylight, he could have sworn he saw Near walking out the castle gates. Blinking and looking again, he saw nothing. Great, Near was even in his hallucinations now.

He lay down on the cot, just thinking, until the sun was pretty high in the sky. That's it. He was sick of being a coward, tired of being a chicken. He was going to tell Near how he felt, whether he got rejected or not. Figuring Near was probably up by now, he made his way back down the stairs, shutting and locking the door to his secret attic behind him. Bare feet slapping the cold stone floor of the halls, Mello made his way back to his room. Knocking on the door, he didn't hear any sound, so he opened it. It was empty. No Near, no clothes lying on the floor from the night before, and his armoire hanging open. There were stains on the sheets, mostly from last night, but there was a large wet spot on one of the pillows that looked fairly fresh.

Touching his fingertips to it, he realized they were tears.

---

HOMG! *hyperventilates and dies*

Please tell me what you thought. *goes to jump off of a cliff*

Well, I do have an explanation for this horrible writing. I was having these really weird cravings that consisted of pickles dipped in cream cheese, soba noodles, and Diet Dr. Pepper. Maybe it affected my brain. Not to mention it was my first lime ever. (Excuses, excuses, as usual)

~FragilePuzzle


	8. Chapter 8

Nyuuuu…that was a sad turn in the story. Maybe it will have a happy ending, maybe not. Should I end this story soon, or make it longer? I want your opinion! I might make a sequel…or something. Even though it's not that great, this story is hecka-fun to write!

---

He didn't think the stain on the pillow was from last night, as it looked really fresh. Touching his fingertips to it, he realized they were still-wet tears. Looking around the room again, he saw a small scrap of parchment that was written on, the ink still fresh.

"I'm sorry." was all it read.

He ran out on to the balcony, screaming Near's name, wondering if he had went for a walk or something. After realizing he wasn't in the courtyard anywhere, Mello dashed downstairs into the main hall.

"Near?!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the hall. "NEAR?!"

Roger quickly ran up to him, hearing his frantic cries, and asked him what was wrong. Then, he saw the worried look Mello had, and the way he was biting his lip as to stop himself from breaking down, and put two and two together.

"I will immediately dispatch the royal army to go search for him, milord," he said, running off.

Mello nodded and continued to search the entire castle, but Near was nowhere to be found. The only trace that he had ever been there were the clothes that resided in Mello's closet, but those could just be mistaken for articles of clothing that Mello had grown out of; and the stains on the bedsheets. That's all Mello had to remember him by. Mello flopped down on to the bed, burying his face in the pillows and screaming.

When a maid walked in and started to ask if she could wash the sheets, Mello just gave her a death glare and she quickly left. After a little while, Roger came walking in. He sat down on the bed, next to where Mello was sitting, and comfortingly patted him on the back. Roger had always been like a father to Mello, so Mello didn't mind that Roger was in the room with him. Ever since Roger had saved him from that pirate attack so many years ago, Mello had always had a certain degree of respect and admiration for the old man.

"Milord, you can't lie in your bed all day, you know. You have meetings with the financial and foreign advisors."

Mello just let out a dry sob, burying his face deeper in the sweat-and-lavender-smelling pillows.

"If you wish, I can reschedule them."

Mello nodded and Roger left the room, glancing back once, only to see the prince sobbing. He didn't want to be there when his sadness was overcome by anger.

And Roger was right. A few minutes later, the castle echoed with angry screams and swearing, and there was a lot of noise that sounded like things breaking.

"FUCKING BITCH!" Mello yelled, knocking a vase off its stand and on to the floor. " I SHOULD HAVE FUCKING KNOWN! MOTHERFUCKING GODDAMN FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

After about half-an-hour of screaming, cursing, and breaking things, Mello's throat was too raw to yell and scream anymore, and there was a piece of glass stuck in his hand from when he had accidentally smashed a glass vase too hard.

"Matt was fucking right…" he cried to no one in particular.

---

Near had been wandering for hours now, and it was almost mid-afternoon. His feet were sore and he was hungry, but most of all…he missed Mello. But what he couldn't understand was how he could love somebody so fully when that person didn't love him back. It was a terrible feeling, but he didn't have time to contemplate it. Six or seven guards were scouring the one road, and he immediately recognized them as Mello's by the crest on their shields.

'What could Mello want with me?' he thought. 'No, that's just narcissistic. They probably aren't even looking for you. Even if they were, it would only be so Mello could get his birthday present back. After all, I could always be forced to polish his shoes.'

Near quickly ran into the nearby forest, the one that was right alongside the road, and waited for the guards to pass. However, when he jumped behind the bush, a branch cracked loudly, and one of the guards turned around.

"Rester, did you hear that?" one of the guards asked.

"What now, Gevanni?" said the other guard.

"There's something over there! In those bushes!' he said, pointing directly at the bush Near was hiding in.

"Fine, but I'm betting it's just a rabbit."

"It was fucking white!"

"Then it's a white rabbit!"

Near looked around, but there was no place to go, no other places to hide. As Matt might have said, he was "royally screwed."

The two guards just got closer and closer, and Near could do nothing. Finally, the one named Gevanni looked behind the bush and saw Near huddling behind it.

"Hey, it's a cute little boy," he said, smirking and grabbing on to Near's wrist, pulling him up on to his feet.

The guard named Rester just looked the other way, and the other guards continued marching onward, looking for the boy Prince Mello had sent them to find.

"So, hey," Gevanni said, pushing Near up against a nearby tree. "What are you doing out here, little boy? Are you lost?"

Near shook his head "no," and tried to struggle out of Gevanni's grip.

"Aww, leaving so soon?" he said. "I haven't even got your name!"

Near's eyes widened as he remembered things he never thought he would have to remember again. Disgusting memories filled his head, and he felt like he was going to retch.

"Tell me your name, or I'll kill you!" Gevanni said.

"N-Near," Near stuttered.

"Hurry up Gevanni, we've got to look for that boy, Near what's-his-face!" Rester yelled.

Gevanni suddenly dropped Near's wrist, and got a frightened look on his face.

"Rester…I found him…"

"Found who? Don't tell me THAT'S Near!" Rester yelled.

Near just leaned over and threw up, shivering, even though it was a hot day outside. His chest rose and fell quickly, and his breathing was shallow as he threw up again. Trying to block out the memories, he decided to think of happy times. Let's see…

It was then he realized that the only happy times he had were with Mello. Before he had met Mello, he had been nothing but used and abused, and had never felt anything good like love or kindness. Remembering what he had done the night before, he threw up again, most of it being dry heaving. He didn't want to believe that it was all pretend, just like…a game for Mello, and that feeling of love wasn't real. That those happy times weren't real. He shivered, bending over and clutching his stomach. The two guards looked at him worriedly as he began to heave again. Near didn't know what was wrong. He wasn't sick, so why was this happening?  
Suddenly, his knees gave out, and he felt weak all over. The guard named Rester picked him up and set him on the horse he had been traveling on, and the three set back towards the castle, Near shivering and feeling disgusted with himself. But…why were Mello's guards bringing him back to the castle? He didn't want to go back and see him…

And Near blacked out.

---

Mello was now in the "It's all my fault" stage. He had now passed through the beginning panic, the deserted feeling, the uncontrollable anger, and the quiet crying phases. Now he was lying on the bed, thinking about how everything that had went wrong was his fault.

"If I had only been nicer…" he said. "If only I hadn't had the banquet, then we could have spent more time together. If only I hadn't forced him to do that last night, or maybe he wanted it, and I didn't do a good enough job. Maybe if I wasn't as ugly as I am, or I had a bigger kingdom, and maybe if I was smarter—"

Roger, who had come into the room without Mello noticing, cut off Mello's ranting.

"Milord, you don't need to do any of those things. If that boy can't see what a honorable and beautiful person you are, then it's his loss, and he shouldn't have left."

"I'm not honorable or beautiful, and it's my fault he left!" Mello yelled. "I did something wrong!"

"Well, Milord, he is waiting downstairs. The guards found him."

"I don't want to see him, just let him go!"

"He's sick, Milord."

At this, Mello quickly looked up. His normally perfect hair was a mess, his face was red, blotchy, and swollen from crying, and the pillow his face was buried in was practically dripping wet.

"S-sick?" Mello echoed.

Roger only nodded.

"Please don't let the maids wash these sheets, I'll be right back," he said, running down the stairs.

Roger nodded again, and sat in front of Mello's door personally to make sure none of the maids disturbed Mello's room.

---

He's sick, he's sick, he's sick," Mello thought, running down the stairs two and three at a time. "What if he has scarlet fever, or some kind of plague? I knew I shouldn't have let him leave the castle!"

Mello arrived downstairs and dashed across the main hall, seeing Near, passed out, in the arms of one his guards, Gevanni.

"Give him here!" Mello said, snatching Near from Gevanni, who looked utterly terrified. "And go get me a physician!"

Mello took Near back upstairs and laid him on the bed, smoothing back his bangs and feeling his forehead. He was clammy, but Mello didn't see any outward signs of sickness.

"Near, I'm so sorry…I didn't mean for you to get sick! Please, get better!"

---

It had been almost two hours since Mello had taken Near upstairs when he finally woke up. He shot up, shrieking and covering his mouth like he was about to puke.

"Near?" Mello said, pulling Near into his arms, trying to comfort the shivering boy. "Oh god, I didn't think you were going to wake up! The physician should be here soon…why did you run away?"

"M-Mello?" Near asked edgily.

"You promised me you wouldn't run away, remember? You promised that you'd stay here, because this is your home!"

Near quickly pulled himself out of Mello's arms, stepping out of the bed and immediately collapsing on to the floor. Mello rushed over, helping him back onto the bed, but he just got up again and stumbled towards the door, going as fast as his weak body would let him. Mello easily caught up to him and wrapped his arms around Near's thin torso and stopping him.

"You promised me you'd stay…" he said, his lips touching Near's neck. "This is your home now."

"Home is…" Near weakly started. "Home is where the heart is, and that's not here."

"Why would you say that?!" Mello cried.

"Why…wouldn't I?"

"Because…I…I…your heart belongs here!"

"With who?"

Mello let a few tears drip on to Near's shoulder, gently kissing his cheek. Near just tried to struggle away again, halfheartedly tugging at Mello's arms.

"L…Let me…go…" he said tiredly. "I don't…want…"

"Shhh, please Near, tell me why you're not staying!" pleaded Mello. "Is there any way I can fix it?"

"You can't change…how people feel…"

Near leaned into Mello's arms, on the verge of collapsing again.

"Why did you stay here so long? Why would you make me feel like this and leave?" Mello asked, cuddling his small frame.

"Why wouldn't you want me to leave…?" whispered Near.

"Even though you don't love me, I still love you."

"No you don't..."

Near passed out again, and Mello helped him over on to the bed. He pulled the covers over Near's shivering body, and crawled under them with him, pulling him into his arms. A few minutes later, Near woke up again. Not seeming any stronger, he made no attempt to struggle away; he just turned his head, not looking at Mello.

"Near…please, Near, believe me!" begged Mello, trying to turn Near's face and make him look him in the eye.

"What…Believe you what?" he said quietly.

"I really do love you, even though you don't love me back!"

Near finally turned to look at him and Mello's hand fell from his cheek.

"If I didn't love you…I wouldn't have let you keep going…last night, I mean," said Near. "But, I heard you say you didn't love me…and that's okay."

"I never said—"

Mello stopped as he remembered his conversation with Matt from earlier in the day.

"You heard that?" Mello asked softly.

A quiet "yes" was all Mello got in return.

"Near, I didn't mean that. I do, I can, and I always will."

"No. You told Matt—"

Mello quickly silenced Near's lips with a gentle kiss, not caring if Near was sick or not. Even if he got the plague and died, it would be worth it. Pressing chaste kisses to Near's lips, he whispered,

"I—love—you."

After he finally admitted it, a big weight lifted off of his chest. Whether Near loved him or not, Mello had admitted it. He waited for Near's response before kissing him again.

"I love you too…Mello…"

---

Gevanni is a ra-pist! (Sorry Gevanni fans…I didn't mean to offend you) Gosh, this chapter was so filled with clichéd romance; it's not even funny! But…this story totally changed from my original intentions. Originally it wasn't really gonna have drama or sadness, but I guess you have to have that stuff to write a story, right?

~FragilePuzzle


	9. Chapter 9

OHMAIGOD, I'M NOT DEAD! *dies* Get ready…or run away while you still can…here's the lemon…man, while I was writing this chapter, I kept thinking, "Oh, that's too dirty to put in there…." Then I remembered it was a LEMON!!!

---

"I love you too…Mello…"

Mello, rather than responding, tried to convey his feelings through a kiss. Running his fingers through Near's soft hair, he pressed the smaller boy into the bed.

"Mello…are these the sheets from last night?" asked Near.

"Yeah," Mello smiled. "I was afraid that they would be all I had to remember you by."

Near blushed, but looked genuinely sorry. Mello, afraid he had ruined the moment, moved his mouth next to Near's ear and whispered,

"But now, I can have other things to remember you by too."

Leaving his mouth there, he licked the shell of Near's ear, earning a small gasp of his name. Mello took advantage of the fact that Near's mouth was open, and quickly kissed him, exploring his waiting mouth. Wanting him to feel some sort of pleasure too, Near began to suck on Mello's tongue. Mello let out a satisfying moan, and Near began to feel a sense of dominance…until Mello moved his hand down and touched the outside of Near's pants, making him whimper and buck his hips up.

Mello quickly pulled Near's shirt off, throwing it on to the floor. He took his off as well, pressing their now-bare chests together and beginning to kiss Near's neck. Attacking the sensitive spot behind his ear, Mello buried his face in his neck, leaving bright red and purple marks everywhere and marking Near as his. Near's hands explored Mello's back, pulling more of his weight on top of him and mewling when Mello bit down hard and broke the sensitive skin.

Near wanted to make up for the fact that Mello had done nothing but pleasure him so far, so he sat up, bringing Mello up with him. Straddling Mello's lap, he began to suck on his neck, making the prince moan softly. Near wanted to hear the sound again, so he started to kiss and lick his way down Mello's neck. Making his way to his toned chest and reaching his nipples, Near began to tease one with his tongue, breathing warm air on it and making Mello shudder in pleasure. He got down on his hands and knees, becoming face-level with Mello's chest, and began to suck on the pert bud. Mello fluttered his eyelids and his mouth opened, letting out quiet groans every now and then. Near moved his mouth to the other side of Mello's chest and did the same thing, making sure that Mello was still enjoying his ministrations.

"Ha-aahh…"

Near began to undo Mello's pants, his dexterous fingers quickly untying the laces and sliding the burdensome material off. Trailing his tongue down Mello's chest, Near made his way down to Mello's impressive erection and licked it tentatively. Near could hear Mello's breathing rate increase, so he tried to take Mello fully in his mouth. Mello immediately entangled his fingers in his white curls and groaned wantonly, trying to get him to take more. Near struggled against his gag reflex as he felt Mello hit the back of his throat, but Mello simply let out louder moans and began to breathe heavier. Beginning to bob his head, Near swirled his tongue along Mello's sensitive vein, trying to mock everything Mello had done to him.

"N-Near…!"

"Hmmm?" Near hummed, sending vibrations up Mello's spine.

Near could feel Mello shudder when he hummed, so he did it again. Humming the Keehlotanian anthem, he bobbed his head faster, letting Mello hit the back of his throat repeatedly. When Near was almost done with the anthem, he could feel something warm and sticky dripping into his mouth, so he decided to suck slightly harder. He took Mello fully in his mouth one more time before Mello moaned loudly and spilled, the hot liquid rushing down the smaller boy's throat. He coughed and sputtered, choking slightly, but managed to swallow most of it, only a little bit of it trickling out of the corner of his mouth. Mello immediately opened his eyes, startled by the sound of his lover choking. Kissing the petite boy, he licked the little bit of come that was left off of his lips. Near was flushed a dark pink, and his eyes were glazed over slightly, so Mello decided it was his turn. Pushing Near back on the bed, his warm lips met the soft skin of his stomach, which was coated with sweat and rising and falling rapidly.

"Mel-lo…" Near moaned, grabbing Mello's hair and pulling his head up.

Mello thought Near was going to stop him again, but instead, Near took three of Mello's fingers into his mouth and began sucking on them. Mello watched, enthralled, as his fingers slid in and out of Near's warm mouth, his onyx-gray eyes closed and his silver-white hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. Once they were coated with his spit, Near took Mello's fingers and pressed one to his entrance.

"N-Near?" Mello groaned. "Are you sure?"

Near nodded, his eyes squeezed shut tight, and Mello slowly slid his finger all the way in, making sure it wouldn't hurt Near. Near was even tighter than Mello had imagined, and Mello could feel him instantly tighten even more as he pushed his finger in further.

"Relax," he whispered, kissing him soothingly.

Near nodded and Mello added another finger, swallowing Near's cry with a deep kiss. However, the real pain didn't start until Mello began to scissor his fingers apart.

"Mello…ahh!" Near whimpered, his nails digging angry red crescents into Mello's back.

"Are you okay?" asked Mello, using his free hand to push Near's sticky bangs away from his forehead.

Near nodded, so Mello added a third finger. Trying to distract Near from the pain, he grabbed Near's length, beginning to pump it. After scissoring him a few more times, he decided Near was ready, so he removed his fingers. Coating his shaft in his pre-come, he pulled Near's legs onto his shoulders and put the tip of his length to Near's entrance.

"Ready?" he asked.

Near nodded, so Mello slowly pushed into him. He moaned at the sudden tightness, and Near cried out and fisted the bedsheets.

"M-Mello!"

Mello waited a minute for Near to adjust before beginning to move, as he didn't want to hurt Near.

"P-please, Mello, m-move!" Near begged, his eyes half-closed.

Mello grabbed Near's petite hips and thrust into him, not needing to be told again. Near cried out in a combination of pain and pleasure, driving Mello insane. The next time Mello pushed in, he hit Near's prostate and made the smaller boy moan loudly, not feeling any pain any more.

"Hard-er!" Near begged, trying to get Mello to hit that spot again.

Mello began to pound into him, making the bed shake and Near scream softly. The only sounds that could be heard were panting, moaning, and the sound of the bed rattling and hitting the stone wall behind it. Neither of them could think straight, and all they knew was that they wanted to stay like this forever, right in this moment of ecstasy, so close and vulnerable to each other.

"Mello! I-I think--!"

Mello didn't say anything, he just began to thrust into Near harder and faster, taking out his anger that had built up over the course of time when Near was gone. Near just flushed brighter and screamed as he came, spilling all over both of their chests. Mello came only seconds later, quickly pulling out of Near and lying on the bed beside him.

"Hah…M-Mello…I-I…ah…I'm sorry…" Near panted, coughing slightly.

Mello didn't respond. The only sound in the room was their labored breathing.

"I…I d-didn't mean to…hah…I-I love you…"

Mello still didn't respond. He just got out of bed and began to get dressed, pulling on some of his fancy robes. Near sat up, his face still flushed and sweaty, but the erotic, post-sex face gone. Instead, he had a look of confusion.

"W-what…where a-are…ah…going?" he asked, coughing more afterwards.

"Somewhere," he icily responded, walking out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him.

Near sat up in bed, coughing and panting, still as confused as ever.

---Downstairs---

Mello drifted down the halls, wondering why he was so mad at Near. He honestly couldn't pinpoint WHAT he felt towards Near…why were his feelings changing so quickly? One moment, he was smitten, and the next he felt like he hated the small boy. He knew he loved Near…and maybe he wasn't mad at Near, but himself? Why couldn't he just tell everybody he was in love with Near? Was there something stopping him? Did he have some sort of feeling that could be stopping him?

All of his drifting about the castle had eventually led him to the dining hall, and he saw a certain familiar redheaded prince sitting in one of the empty chairs. At hearing the sound of his footsteps, the other prince shot out of his seat and quickly went over to Mello pulling him into a hug.

"Mels, I'm so sorry! I-I heard the terrible news!"

Mello just looked up at the other prince.

"What news?" he asked hollowly.

"What news?! Your guards are scouring my kingdom, looking for Near!"

"Oh," he said flatly. "They found him on the side of the road, not a mile from the castle. He's upstairs."

Matt quickly pulled away from the hug, running upstairs to check on Near. Mello felt…a bit jealous. Why would Matt be worried about Near, anyway? H-He was supposed to be HIS best friend, not Near's…

Mello decided that it would be best to check on Near. He had been pretty cold to him earlier, and he deserved an apology. And maybe, just maybe, Mello could gather up the courage to tell Near how he felt. Even thinking about it made Mello blush slightly, not unlike a schoolgirl with her first crush. Trying to get the blush on his face to go down, Mello made his way up the stairs.

---Upstairs---

Near had just gotten dressed when he heard footsteps outside of the door. If he was lucky, it would be Mello, and he'd be able to ask what was wrong with him earlier. Unfortunately for Near, he wasn't lucky. It was prince Matt that came bursting into the room, not Mello.

"Near! You…why'd you run away?! Mello was so worried!" he said, hugging the smaller boy.

"He…" Near coughed. "He certainly didn't act very worried…"

"Mello has always hidden his feelings. He just needs something to push him, and he'll confess to whatever he's feeling."

Just then, Near heard some footsteps outside of the door. This time, he knew it was Mello. However, before he could run over to the door and fling it open, demanding to know what Mello was feeling, Matt grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Near, please trust me," he said, pulling Near closer. "This is for your own good."

Just as Mello opened the door, Matt pressed his lips forcefully against Near's. Mello saw them and his eyes widened, filling with a combination of shock, anger, and hurt. The blonde prince covered his mouth with his hand, and ran back the way he came, not turning around once.

As soon as Near's lips touched Matt's, he tried to pull away. H-he didn't want this! But, Matt held him strong, not letting him pull away until he was sure Mello had seen and had left. As soon as Mello turned the corner, Matt let Near go, wiping his lips on his sleeve. Near didn't even say anything to Matt before he ran after Mello, his body-wracking coughs echoing throughout the stone halls.

"…I lied, Near. It wasn't for your good. It was for mine," the other prince said, looking out the window and seeing a flash of blonde run across the courtyard.

---

On a funny note, when I was writing this, I was wearing my Near T-shirt. It felt like he was watching me write this disapprovingly. After the first few paragraphs, I couldn't take it, so I took it off and stuffed it under my pillow, just sitting there and writing in my bra and shorts. But then…all the Death Note posters on my wall…THEY WERE STARING AT THE COMPUTER! Maybe…that's not funny?

Does anyone else feel like a pervert when they're writing smut?

Anyway, sorry for skipping most of the down-and-dirty details with the lemon. I can't say I've been a guy and had sex with another guy, so I can't get everything right. Maybe, once I get better at writing smut, I'll try again! Pshh, that sex seemed so rushed. Bleh. I fail.

~FragilePuzzle


	10. Chapter 10

Okay…that was some drama last chapter, am I right? Or not…I kinda fail. Oh, and the song I listened to while writing this chapter was "Eternally Beyond" by Moi Dix Mois…you should totally listen to it while reading this! I have no idea what they are saying, but the overall mood (in my opinion) expresses the panic, confusion, and anger that everybody is feeling. I was also listening to "Funny Farm (Techno remix)" by Neurotic Fish. That's good for the ending. Now, on to the story!

---

"M-Mello?! Mello, please stop!" Near yelled. "M-Mello, p-please, wait!"

Matt watched Near run after Mello, knowing that the blonde-haired prince wouldn't stop. A small smile crossed his face.

"I'm sorry, Mello. I…regret giving him to you and then taking him away like this, but it's the only way. He doesn't deserve you. He can't take care of you like you deserve to be taken care of….but me? I can give you anything you want. I can make you happy, so c'mon Mello. Let me see you smile."

---

Mello felt like he was in hell.

No, scratch that, he was in hell.

He had seen Near kissing Matt.

The boy he loved kissing his best friend.

The prince ran down the stairs and out into the courtyard, getting lost among the forest near the castle. Occasionally, a branch would thwack him in the face or he would stumble over a tree root sticking up from the ground, but he just kept running. He never wanted to face anyone ever again. He just wanted to kill himself, to cease to exist. As melodramatic and stupid as it sounded, he just wanted to crawl in a hole and die. He should have never let himself get so attached to Near. And Matt…? That was even worse. His best friend…he had loved Matt.

Wait, loved?

Mello suddenly stopped in his tracks. He loved…Matt? But…he thought he loved Near? Why were so many confusing thoughts whirling through his head?

Rather than stopping to think about it, he just ran some more, trying to leave the feelings behind. He didn't know; he couldn't tell if he was going back the way he came, or if he was going deeper into the forest. He didn't care.

He just kept on running.

---

Matt saw Mello enter the grove of trees, and he decided it was time to go after him. He quickly made his way down the stairs and out the castle doors, not seeing Near anywhere. He guessed that the smaller boy had followed Mello into the trees, but both he and Mello had much longer legs, so the short boy would never be able to catch up to either of them. Hearing Near's body-wracking coughs come from somewhere in the forest, he knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time.

After walking around in the trees for a few minutes, he could hear somebody making small sobs, so he headed in the direction they were coming from. He saw Mello sitting at the base of a tree, clutching his ankle, which was bent at an awkward angle. There was a tear in his skin, and a white bone was jutting out, blood trickling on to the ground.

"M-Matt…please…p-please…" he cried. "I-it hurts so badly…I-I tripped…A-and…"

Matt quickly grabbed the blonde and swept him into his arms. Mello's face was tearstained, and his breathing was irregular, his bright red blood dripping everywhere. Matt couldn't bear to see him in so much pain…pain he wasn't able to fix. This was Near's fault. If it weren't for that little brat, Mello would have never ran into the forest and snapped his ankle…Near was going to pay. He was going to pay dearly. Near was going to feel the same way he did. He was going to drive Near over the edge.

If he had to…he would do anything.

---

"Mello…" coughed Near, stumbling though the forest. "M-Mello!"

Near didn't think he could walk any more. His chest was in knots, and it was getting increasingly harder to breathe. He spit up a little blood, but continued onward. It wasn't for about another ten minutes until he saw a tree with blood spattered at the bottom…fresh blood.

"M…Mello…" he choked, a little bit of blood coming up. "Me…llo…"

Instead of saying anything else, Near just forced his body to keep moving, following the little drips of blood here and there. Even though there were spots in front of his eyes, and he was coughing constantly, he had to find out where Mello had gone. What if a wild animal had gotten him? He had to find out if Mello was okay. So, he strained his muscles and began to walk a little faster with each step. He was going to find Mello, even if it killed him.

---

Matt was walking back to the castle, a shaking and crying Mello in his arms. The bleeding in his ankle had slowed some, but the blonde was still shivering and shuddering from the pain. When Matt arrived back inside, he saw a man sitting at the dining table, many large bags in hand.

"I was called here by Monsieur Mello in order to examine a boy named Near—oh my, what happened to his ankle?!" the man, apparently the doctor Mello called to examine Near, asked.

"He needs help immediately," Matt said, setting Mello on the table in order for the doctor to fix his leg. "The prince is much more important than a…servant with a cough."

The doctor nodded and immediately began to fix Mello's leg. Tears continued to drip out of Mello's eyes, even though they were shut tight with pain, and he was still shaking from the pain. Matt grabbed on to his hand and pushed some of the blonde strands of hair off of his sweaty forehead, kissing it gently.

"Shh, just sleep…" he whispered comfortingly. "It'll be fine…"

As soon as the doctor had finished fixing Mello's leg, Matt told him to be on his way. But, just as he started to leave, Near stumbled in through the front doors. Near saw Mello, who sat up at hearing the castle doors open and saw him as well. Near coughed a few times, spitting up some blood, but mostly letting out dry heaves that shook his small frame. Before he even had time to say anything, the petite boy collapsed onto the floor, blacking out.

The doctor quickly ran over to him, picking his small body up easily. Carrying him over to the table as well, he set him down and began diagnosing him, whipping things out of his bag, making pokes and pricks all over his otherwise-flawless skin.

"He…this boy…he has the consumption."

"The consumption?" Mello asked weakly, sitting up slightly, his eyes now opened.

"Yes. The symptoms include bloody cough, fever, pallor, and long relentless wasting. You've seen the bloody cough, he is burning up, even his lips are pale, and he seems to have lost much weight in a short time. At the rate he is going, he won't live another two weeks."

"Two weeks?!" asked Mello and Matt simultaneously, Mello with surprise, and Matt with hidden glee.

"Yes. However, we will have to quarantine him immediately. The consumption is catching, and is more often than not…deadly. Might you have a dungeon of some sort?"

"Yes, there IS a dungeon!" said Matt, quickly picking up Near and leading the physician to the dungeons.

Inwardly, Matt was laughing. He held the weak Near in his arms, his neck lolling back, and his pale lips parted slightly to allow him to take in what air he could. This boy would never have Mello. He would be dead before that could happen.

When they arrived at the dungeon, Matt opened a cell door, threw the limp body in, and slammed the door shut, walking back upstairs to where Mello was waiting. The inside of that cell would never see the light of day again. Not until Matt went to drag the cold, dead bones of Near's body away.

---

Back upstairs, Mello was struggling to make his way downstairs to the dungeons…he had to apologize to Near, before it was too late. They could get a bunch of doctors to treat him, and—

"Mels, you shouldn't be walking!" said Matt, running up to him. "C'mon, you should get some sleep."

Mello wasn't even able to protest before Matt carried him to his bedroom. The redheaded prince set him down on the newly-washed sheets, tucking him in and kissing him on the forehead.

"Matt, I'm s-sorry…I love you," Mello said.

Matt grinned, but not for the reason Mello thought. He had won! Everything had gone according to plan…now all that was left standing between him and Mello was the little bit of life Near had left. But, that would soon change. Soon, Near would be dead, and Mello would be his.

---

Near was lying on the cold, hard floor of the dungeon. Matt…Matt had thrown him down here? Why would Matt do that? Matt always seemed nice…except for when he was clinging on to Mello and interrupting their moments alone. Matt had smiled when the doctor said he was going to die. He had to get out and tell Mello what Matt was trying to do.

Just then, he heard the rattling of keys, and the sound of the rusty cell door being pulled slowly open. Blinking a few times, he saw that it was Roger who was opening the door. The old man quickly ran over with some food, shutting the door behind him.

"D-don't come…a-any c-closer…" coughed Near. "Y-you'll catch i-it too…."

"Near," he said, handing him the food. "You must eat, and then I will let you out. It is not up to me what you will do from then, but…Master Mello needs you. Master Matt has changed. He is trying to take Mello for himself. Under normal circumstances, I would not interfere, but I know that Master Mello will not be happy with him. He can only be happy with somebody like you, and I want nothing more than to see young Master Mello happy."

"I-I…I'm n-not hungry…" he said, getting up slowly. "I-I have t-to go t-talk t-to Mello…"

Stumbling towards the door, he grabbed on to the walls for support and made his way up the stairs. The only thought that was running through his head was, "I have to get to Mello."

About 20 minutes later, he had arrived at the door of Mello's room. He could only hear one person breathing inside, so he opened the door slightly, peeking in to see if it was Mello. Seeing some blonde strands of hair from underneath the covers, he staggered into the room, trying to keep his coughs quiet. The prince quickly sat up, hearing the coughs, and staring at him sleepily.

"N-Near? Why are you here? Who let you out?"

"Mello, I-I can't…Matt h-he j-just wants m-me to d-die s-so he c-can have you f-for h-himself!" he coughed, much louder this time. "H-He threw me i-into t-the dungeon, and h-he l-left me i-in the f-forest w-when I-I went a-after y-you, a-and he j-just w-wants me t-to be out o-of the p-picture!"

"But, why would Matt do that?"

"L-Like I s-said, h-he wants y-you for h-himself!"

"Are you sure he's doing this? I mean…Matt?"

Just as Near nodded, Matt slammed open the door, seeing Near leaning on the foot of Mello's bed. Matt walked over to Near, knocking him on to the floor and looking at him like one does at a disgusting lump of garbage. Mello looked at him with a mix of horror and anger, with just a hint of confusion.

"Matt, did you try and…kill Near?" he asked.

Matt let a small grin cross his face.

"I never tried to kill him…he's dying anyway, I just didn't want you to get sick as well."

"Matt, get OUT!" Mello yelled.

"He doesn't deserve you, Mello…he can't give you what you really want. But I can. Mello, just let this little brat die."

"H-He's not a little brat! I-I can't believe you would DO something like this, Matt!" Mello screamed. "Get OUT! I-I can't believe I ever thought I LOVED you!"

At this accusation, Matt looked hurt. Near actually felt bad for him, that is, until he remembered Matt had tried to kill him. Then, he didn't feel so bad. The redheaded prince looked at Mello with an expression of anger and hurt, but mostly anger.

"This is how you pay me back for my kindness?" he asked, walking past Near, who was still lying on the floor.

"Matt, what's wrong?!" Mello asked worriedly. He didn't understand why Matt was acting like this…it was like he had snapped.

"I have ALWAYS loved you, and you never gave me so much as a second glance! I tried EVERYTHING! I even tried to make you jealous, to always be there for you, and you fall in love with HIM?!" yelled Matt, pointing at Near. "Now, Mello, whatever happens from now on out is YOUR fault!"

"Matt, you're not making any sense! What are you talking about? P-please, what are you doing?" Mello asked, looking scared.

Matt didn't reply, he just left the room, grinning slightly. He left the castle, going outside to the carriage he arrived in, and quickly driving away.

---

Can anybody tell Matt's gone a LITTLE crazy? Earlier, Matt was just PRETENDING to support them…he was really insanely jealous THIS WHOLE TIME. But, once he found out they slept together, his jealousy got in the way of his love for Mello, and he decided to do whatever it takes to get Mello for himself. That's the story. So really, Matt is the antagonist in the story. Sorry if this seems sudden…I never really planned the story out in advance, so I JUST NOW made this plot twist up. Anyway, in case you didn't know, Near has tuberculosis. I actually researched the symptoms and everything, but his just…progresses really fast. So nya.


	11. Chapter 11

Woo, I'm just cranking these out, cause I'm in a hurry to finish up this story! By the way, Near has tuberculosis, but it has slightly different side effects, and I know everything's not exactly right with it. Sorry. Here we go~

---

Mello and Near watched Matt drive away in his carriage, wondering what he was planning on doing. If one thing was for certain, it was the fact that Matt wasn't very…stable. Love could drive people to do things they normally wouldn't, but Mello still wondered which Matt was the REAL Matt. The one he had known for all these years, his best friend that supported him through thick and thin; or this Matt, who claimed he was madly in love with Mello, and would do anything to get him for himself.

But maybe he didn't want to know.

---

A few days later, Near was even worse. He was just lying in Mello's bed, not moving, unable to talk because his voice was raw from coughing so much, and somebody had to be with him at all times to make sure he didn't choke on his blood or mucus. It was a pitiful sight indeed, as the one who spent all of his time with him was Mello. Mello had to watch him growing weaker and weaker, to watch his life draining out of him, to watch the disease eating him away. His skin grew paler; he lost weight because he always claimed he had no appetite. It killed Mello to know he couldn't do anything to help him. If all of this drama hadn't happened, maybe Near wouldn't have gotten sick as fast as he did. Even though all of the doctors claimed he should be quarantined, Mello wouldn't hear of it. He wanted to spend every second of their time left together, and he didn't want Near to ever feel he was alone again.

"Near, why won't you just get better? I-I'm so sorry that you're like this! I don't want it to be like this!" Mello whispered, stroking Near's hair.

"I-It's n-not your…f-fault…" said Near, his voice cracking.

Mello covered his mouth with shock, as the doctors said he would never be able to speak again. The disease was progressing so quickly, he could barely move, and his vocal cords were supposedly shot.

"Shh, save your strength. You shouldn't be trying to talk," Mello said.

"I-I…I…" he started, trying as hard as he could to get the words out. "I-I l-love y-you, Mello…"

Mello let a few tears slip down his cheeks. Saying he felt like complete shit was an understatement. Even saying he felt like the biggest fuck-up in the world was an understatement as well. He was so mad at himself for getting mad at Near like that, and for letting Matt do the things he did to Near.

"Near, I'm so, so, sorry," Mello choked out. "I don't even deserve your forgiveness, but I want you to know, I love you so much."

"…w-what a-about M-Matt…?"

"No. I don't ever want to hear that piece of shit's name come out of your mouth again. If I see that sonofabitch, I'm going to stab him in the throat," Mello said, clenching his fists. "I thought I loved him, but I promise you, I DON'T. I-I was just so fucking confused!"

Near didn't have the strength left to say anything, but a small smile crossed his face. The sight simply broke Mello's heart. Even though he was dying because of him, and Mello had nearly left him, Near still forgave him. Mello thought that if he was put in that same position, he would have never forgiven himself. He would have never wanted to see himself ever again.

"…f-forgive y-you…" Near managed to whisper before the small boy closed his eyes, still smiling slightly.

Mello stared at his peaceful face for a few seconds before realizing that he wasn't breathing. He quickly held up his stick-thin wrist and checked his pulse, only to discover he didn't have one. There was no flutter of life, his chest didn't rise and fall as it was supposed to, and what little color he had left in his face was gone.

"Near? Near!" Mello whispered, his voice growing louder by the second.

Near didn't respond, even as Mello continued to shake him and call out his name.

"NEAR! C'mon sweetie, just OPEN YOUR EYES!!"

No response at all. Not a single flutter of life was left to be found in his body. Mello dropped his wrist from his grasp in distress, and his now-limp arm flopped back down on to the bed. Near didn't move whatsoever. His lips were no longer parted slightly to take in air, and his chest wasn't moving. By this time, tears were running down Mello's face, and he didn't even attempt to stop them.

"AAHH!" Mello shrieked, a combination of rage and heartbreaking misery, making the doctors quickly run in. "N-NO!! WAKE UP!"

Even though he hadn't heard the screams, Roger quickly came running in, looking terrified.

"Master Mello, they are at the gates!" he said. "T-there are legions and legions of men at the gates of the castle!"

Mello looked up, his face streaked with tears and a look of sadness, anger, and shock on it. He was still clutching onto Near's hand, but the doctors quickly pushed him away and began working on Near, trying everything they could to bring him back to life. Roger took him over to the castle balcony, and he was right. There were probably a couple thousand men just waiting at the castle walls. Mello immediately recognized the crests to belong to Light…why would he be attacking the city? But, he also noticed a different symbol among the gothic red "K"s…Matt's crest.

"H-he…" Mello spat, his voice shaking with hatred and rage. "IF HE LIES A SINGLE HAND ON NEAR'S----!!"

"Milord, they are demanding that you come out," whispered Roger.

"Dispatch the army immediately," he said, his voice firm.

"We already have."

"B-but, what happened? There's still so many left!" Mello asked, his voice losing his authority.

"We were completely obliterated."

Mello clutched rosary to his chest and wondered what his parents might have done. No, he didn't wonder, he knew. They had already done it. They had sacrificed their lives to make sure Mello was safe, and if needed, he would sacrifice his to keep the innocent people of his kingdom safe. He didn't have anything left to live for anyways, now that Near was dead. So without even saying a word, he kissed Near's semi-cold lips and walked downstairs, his ankle shooting a searing pain up his leg with every step, yet he wanted to maintain as much of his dignity as possible. He choked back a few tears from the pain in his leg, as well as the fact he knew he would probably be killed.

"Goodbye, Near," he said, looking up at the window to his bedroom, where the doctors were still bustling about, screaming at each other to do certain things.

As the gates opened, he found himself in the presence of thousands of men that could overtake him in seconds. He had never felt so small and insignificant, so unable to make even an ounce of difference. It scared him to realize he probably couldn't even fight off one of these men. Suddenly, Light came walking out from the crowds of men, who were parting like the red sea to let him through.

"Mello. You are going to die, right here, in the face of all your people. You broke Matt's heart, and you'll pay," he said.

Even though he was normally a nice person, Light had a sort of alter-ego. If you got him mad or hurt somebody he loved, he would stop at nothing to get revenge. Mello then realized that Light was in love with Matt.

"If I die, will the people of my kingdom be spared?" he asked shakily, the searing pain in his leg making him want to scream.

Light didn't say anything, he just nodded. Suddenly, the legion of men parted again, and two soldiers came towards him, carrying a cauldron filled with flames. He was going to be burnt to death.

---

Back upstairs, a miracle was taking place. The doctors had managed to get Near breathing again. He hadn't really died. He had been in a comatose sort of state, and his body had almost completely shut down, making his pulse unable to detect even to the most skilled of doctors. After they got him breathing again, he shot up in bed, gasping for air.

"What h-happened?" he asked shakily.

One of the doctors began to explain, but Roger quickly interrupted.

"Near, Mello is outside! Light is going to have him killed! Mello is letting him because he thinks you are dead!"

Near's brain was taking in so much information at once. He hadn't really been dead, but in a comatose state, Mello thought he was dead, and was letting Light kill him because of it. That was what he had gotten so far. But, that was all he needed to know. Unsteadily, he stood up and began to stumble towards the stairs as fast as he could. The doctors all tried to stop him, claiming he should get out of bed for another few weeks, if not months, but he wouldn't hear of it.

"Nothing is going to stop him. He is able to move by sheer willpower alone," explained Roger. "Love will do that to you."

And so, Near ran. He ran as fast as he possibly could, not caring if he coughed up his kidneys. He had to save Mello.

---

Mello was led over to the cauldron and pushed down to his knees, much to the relief of his ankle. Red-hot flames were spitting out of the black cauldron, the occasional ember burning a tiny hole in his pale, snowy white skin. Although it was a little late in his life, he had just developed a fear of fire.

Light quickly pulled out a torch, sweeping it through the crackling flames. It quickly set itself on fire, and he held it dreadfully close to Mello's left cheek. The searing heat was making him sweat, and it hurt badly, but he knew it was about to hurt a whole lot more. Light smiled a sweet smile before touching the torch to his cheek, making him scream, and the soldiers cheer at the same time. The fire quickly worked its way down, not doing much but singeing his hair, though he didn't know why he was worried about his hair. Instead, it burned its way down his left arm and the left side of his torso, making him scream and cry out in agony.

Near could hear Mello's screams as he burst through the front doors of the castle, running over to the blonde prince and trying to put the fire out. It was only seconds until a soldier grabbed him and hauled him away, but during those few seconds, he and Mello had managed to put the fire out. The whole upper-left side of his body was melted, and he was still crying out, but he was alive. Near went limp in the guard's arms from exhaustion, and the bulky man quickly dropped him. The small boy crawled over towards Mello, who shook and convulsed, but remained alive. He pulled the head of blonde hair into his lap, not minding the blood that was seeping on to his clothes. Mello tried to move his mouth to say something, but Near gently held a finger over the still-healthy part of his lips.

"S-shh…" he coughed quietly. "I-I w-won't let t-them h-hurt y-you…"

Mello then mumbled something that sounded a lot like "I'm already dead, stupid," but Near couldn't tell for sure. All he cared about was that Mello was alive. Now came the hard part. He had to take down a whole army to keep him that way.

"I-I won't l-let you h-hurt h-him!" Near choked as loudly as possible, which was barely above a whisper. "Y-you c-can't!"

Just then, the army parted to allow another figure to pass through. It was Matt. The prince didn't say anything, but he just stared at Near.

"Y-you c-can't h-have him!" Near yelled. Even in the face of an army and two princes, he would do anything in his power to protect the unconscious Mello.

"I could strangle you with my bare hands," Light sneered. "Tell me, if I promised to let Mello go, would you be willing to burn in his place?"

Near didn't say anything, he didn't even nod. He just gently set the hurt Mello on the ground, kissing his forehead, and walked over to the still-flaming cauldron, dropping to his knees in front of it. Lowering his head to hide the tears that were dripping out of his eyes, he prepared to accept the excruciating pain that was about to be bestowed upon him.

It was just now that Matt got a good look at Mello. The blonde's skin was melted and his breathing was shallow, a pool of blood forming beneath him. He wasn't even conscious. Matt turned his attention back towards Near, who had lifted his head up. Although he was crying and about to be set on fire, he was smiling happily. Lowering his head again, Near accepted his fate.

---

Will Light stop? Will Mello die? Will Near be burnt? What about Matt? Until next time, folks, until next time!

~FragilePuzzle


	12. Finale

Okay guys, here's the last chapter. I thank you all, readers, reviewers, favoriters, and subscribers…you have no idea who much it means to me! Now…on to the dramatic conclusion. Erm…many people said they hated Matt, and I want to know if YOU do too! So tell me! REVIEW AND TELL ME HOW TERRIBLE THIS ENDING IS!! Or better yet, how terrible the WHOLE story is!

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Lowering his head again, Near accepted his fate. Just as Light was about to raise the torch, which was teasingly flickering under the tiny albino's chin, Matt raised his head and looked up. Surveying the front lawn with his dead eyes, he saw Mello again. The sight of the person he supposedly loved dying because of him…it disgusted him. Then he looked over at Near, and he saw the innocent little boy he had nearly killed twice, and was about to kill again. What he was thinking when he seriously contemplated KILLING these two to satisfy his petty jealousies, he didn't know.

"No. NO. S-stop….Stop!" he yelled, his eyes still transfixed on Mello's half-melted body. "Don't!"

Light kicked Near out of the way and walked over to Matt, handing the torch to a soldier. Near just coughed and inched his way along the ground, using his remaining body strength to try and get over to where Mello was lying.

"M-Mello…" he whispered… "A-are you o-okay?"

Mello made no sound or movement, spare the slight rise and fall of his chest. Near smiled slightly again, glad to see he was still alive, and kissed him on the side of his lips, making sure not to harm the melted skin.

The sight made Matt sick. He…he didn't want to be here anymore. Watching Near take Mello's head into his tiny lap and beginning to stroke his hair was making him want to retch. It was only then that he realized he shouldn't get in the way, because if he really and truly loved Mello, he would always put Mello's happiness first. Quickly, he made his way through the army of people, Light following him, and got into the waiting chariot.

"Matt, what's wrong?" Light asked, looking him straight in the eyes.

"I-I can't do it…p-please, remove the troops immediately," he said softly.

Light did nothing but nod, signaling for the troops to escort them back to Kira's Kingdom. Matt smiled an empty smile as he looked back at Mello and Near, knowing that just getting away would be for the best, even if it tore him apart. He could see doctors swarming around the two, carrying them inside, and he actually hoped that they were able to cure the two of them. He hadn't realized it before, but Light loved him…that would ease his pain for the time being.

---A few weeks later---

"Mello…sweetie? Are you awake yet?" Near asked, quietly walking into Mello's room.

"Yeah, I'm awake," said Mello, beckoning for him to come in.

"We get to take the b-bandages off today!" he exclaimed, coughing slightly.

Mello had been lying in bed for the past couple of weeks, recovering from his burns, and he wasn't allowed to so much as move. However, the doctors said that today, he was allowed to take his bandages off and walk around the castle a little bit. Near hadn't been recovering as well, but the doctors had managed to get most of his tuberculosis under control. He no longer constantly coughed up blood, and he had enough strength to walk and talk, but he got tired easily.

Near crawled onto the bed, straddling Mello's lap, and kissed the un-bandaged half of his face before beginning to unravel the white cloth that covered his torso. Underneath the bandages on his abdomen and chest, there was a jagged and quite prominent line that separated the scarred flesh from the perfect skin. Near gently ran his fingers over all of the newfound crevasses in Mello's skin, but Mello just looked away, disgusted.

"Mello, what's wrong?" Near asked quietly.

"I-I…it's so…ugly…"

Near just shook his head "no," and began to unravel the bandages further, almost at his shoulder. When he noticed Mello was looking away, sickened with himself again, he gently kissed the scarred skin, making his way up as he unraveled more of the bandages. Reaching Mello's shoulder, he took a good look at Mello. The blonde prince was stony and emotionless, staring out the nearby window, not wanting to look at his skin.

"Mello, you still look just as beautiful, and nothing can change that," whispered Near, kissing his shoulder.

Mello still didn't say anything, so Near finished unwrapping his arm. The scar covered the entire upper-left half of his body, spare the underside and forearm of his arm. However, Near knew Mello would be even more upset when he saw his scarred face, as the prince always took pride in his beauty. Quietly sighing, Near unraveled the bandages on the left side of his face. Truthfully, Near thought the scar made Mello even more beautiful than before…it made him look more human, and less like an untouchable deity.

"Mello…" he breathed, gently touching the scar. "You still look gorgeous. Besides, you're lucky you can still use your left eye and the left side of your mouth."

Near hugged him, kissing the scarred skin and running his hands through the prince's hair, which was still as silky and as perfect as ever. He kissed Mello lightly on the lips, trying to get him to say something, but he wouldn't.

"Mello…Mello…" Near coughed. "I still think you're beautiful…"

Mello finally turned and looked at him, still looking slightly horrified. His icy blue eyes traveled his skin, taking in how much of his flesh was going to be scarred for the rest of his life.

"I look like a monster. We should have just kept the bandages on," he said, rubbing his fingertips across Near's soft skin. "Your skin is so perfect…"

Near just shook his head "no" again, still tracing his fingers along the ridges of skin. Kissing the prince on the lips, he wrapped his arms around his neck and brought their bodies closer, wanting to feel more of the roughness of Mello's scar against his sensitive skin. Near slowly began to slide off his plain white top, only breaking the kiss to slip it over his head. Deciding he was going to make Mello feel better about himself, Near switched personalities almost entirely.

"…Mello…" he whispered, gently brushing his stomach against the scarred side of Mello's chest. "…Please…"

"W-what about your tuberculosis…?"

"I don't care…I want you…" whispered Near, trying to be as seductive as possible.

"Near? Are you okay?" Mello asked, looking at him like he wasn't Near at all.

Near just nodded and smirked, wondering if his plan to make Mello feel better was working, because acting like this was kind of hard. But, trying his best, he began to nibble at Mello's earlobe, kissing down the scarred side of his neck. Near knew that burn scars were supposed to be sensitive, as he read about it when he was trying to find out about third degree burns, so beginning to rub the scar, he used his hands to try and get a reaction out of Mello.

"Hahhh…" Mello groaned softly, kissing Near wherever he could reach.

"Do you want this, Mello?"

Before Mello had time to respond, Near slipped his hand in between Mello's legs, beginning to rub his erection through the cloth of his pants. Looking at him with the innocent expression of a curious child, Near asked him again. Mello just moaned slightly and began to grind his hips against Near's hand, nodding as a response to his question. At this, Near was slightly happier. At least he knew that he wasn't as bad at this as he thought.

Taking his baggy white pants off, Near left Mello sitting up and crawled behind him, wrapping his arms around him. Letting his small hands roam Mello's chest, he began to work his small mouth against Mello's neck, kissing, licking, and nipping at it. Every small moan or shiver Mello would make made him feel more in power, and although he didn't want to be like this all the time, he had to admit that it was a nice change of pace. Usually it was Mello who was making him squirm, not the other way around.

"Mello…?" said Near, taking on the persona of an naive child. "Does it feel good when I do this?"

Almost immediately after he said that, Near slipped a hand down Mello's pants and began to stroke him. Gasping, Mello flushed slightly and began to breathe heavier, leaning back onto Near.

"N-Near…is s-something wrong? Y-you're not acting l-like yourself!" he panted, closing his eyes halfway as Near picked up the pace.

"You're just so pretty when you're like this, Mello…I can't help myself," whispered Near, caressing Mello's scar while beginning to pump him.

Mello just leaned back, moaning slightly louder and bucking his hips into Near's hand. Smiling softly, Near pulled his hand out of Mello's pants and kissed him again. The smaller boy slid in front of Mello and began to slowly tease his pants down, rubbing the prince's chest with the tips of his fingers. When Near wrapped his arms around Mello's neck and began to grind their hips together, the blonde let out a soft moan, making Near moan himself.

"Ah…do you want this, Mello?"

"N-Near…a-are you sure y-you're okay?" groaned Mello.

Near just nodded as he threw Mello's pants across the room, taking in the gorgeous sight before him. Mello was sitting up, leaning back on to his hands, his face flushed and blonde strands of hair sticking to his forehead. Near grabbed one of Mello's hands, straddling his lap, and began to suck on his fingers. Once they were evenly coated, he leaned against Mello, bending over slightly, and slowly pushed one in. Letting out a small moan, he quickly added another one and Mello got the picture, beginning to scissor them apart. Bending over more, Near began to thrust back against Mello's fingers.

"T-there!" whispered Near, closing his eyes as Mello hit a certain spot.

Soon after Mello added a third finger, Near decided that he was stretched enough and pulled Mello's fingers out of him. Near closed his eyes and slowly impaled himself, moaning as Mello quickly pushed up into him. Shoving Mello back on to the bed, Near, though inexperienced, began to rapidly thrust his hips up and down. Mello moaned loudly, matching Near's rhythm and beginning to push back up against him. Having to lean on to the prince's chest for support, Near was taken by surprise when the blonde flipped him on to the bed and topped him, beginning to drive into him.

"Ah! M-Mello!" he moaned, wrapping his arms around the Mello's neck.

"Ne-ar!" panted Mello, his name coming out as a throaty growl.

Moaning louder as Mello reached his hand in between the two of them and began to pump him, Near bit Mello's scar to try and quiet himself, making the prince cry out as a droplet of blood slid down his shoulder. As a feeling in the pit of his stomach came to light, Near knew he was about to come. He didn't even have time to warn Mello before he spurted hot liquid all over the both of their chests, coming with a scream that ripped through his throat. Feeling Near tighten around him, Mello let out a loud moan before coming inside of Near. Panting, he gently pulled out of the smaller boy, making him wince slightly.

"Near…" he whispered, lying down on the bed next to him.

"Yes?" coughed Near, still trying to catch his breath.

"I love you."

Near did nothing but smile as Mello pulled him into his arms. For the first time in his seventeen years of life, Near felt at peace with everything…himself, the world, and his fate. Though Mello didn't say it out loud, Near could tell that he wasn't going to be disposed of in favor of something better. Remembering what he first thought the second time Mello gave him a bath…he realized that his life wasn't terrible. Thinking back, he remembered the little flower girl that he had hoped would have a better fate than him.

He hoped that she would have the exact same fate as him.

"I love you too," he whispered, kissing Mello and rubbing a hand along his scar.

After all, Near had managed to survive.

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Oh man, it's finally over! I thank you guys for reading this far, and any reviews with comments, criticism, ideas for the future, etc…would be greatly appreciated! I want to know your final thoughts, and how you felt about the story. And yes, I do know that I epic failed on that last smut scene, but I tried…Near is such a devilish little uke though~

Until next story! Over and out,  
~FragilePuzzle~


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